Takers Faery Tales f
by Sharnhorst
Summary: A crossover between Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and Snow White, starring Mark Calloway and Glenn Jacobs! ***STORY COMPLETED***
1. Default Chapter

_***This is a sort of crossover between Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and Snow white....okay, loads of fairy tale, hence the title. It has Mark and Glenn in it, and two girls who were once neighbours. A bit mean at times, but hey, it is a fairy tale!! I wasn't sure whether to post this, but let me know what you think.***_

**TAKERS FAERY TALES**

**CHAPTER ONE**

Ellie Hall slumped down in front of the small fireplace in the servants quarters and tried to warm her frozen hands up. She had barely enough strength to gather the wood for the fire after all the work she had done that day, but she knew that if she didn't warm herself up she could end up dying of pneumonia in this drafty old building. She sighed deeply and reflected on her life. 

She was only 20 years old, but her life had been one of hardship and pain for the last nine of them, ever since her father, Jonathan Hall, had died. Her Stepmother, Anne-Marie, was a cold, harsh woman. She was beautiful and was well aware of that fact, having used her wiles to catch Ellie's father in the first place. He had been a wealthy landowner, owning a very large estate and part of a forest nearby, and Anne-Marie had only wanted his money and status, not his love. Moving into the house after their marriage with her two spoilt daughters from a previous relationship, she had fooled everyone for a long time, right up until Jonathan had died. At his funeral she had actually been smiling, triumphant in the fact that now he was dead everything he had owned was hers. No-one had ever found a will saying otherwise, and so Anne-Marie had become legal owner of the estate. Her first act had been to fire all the servants that ran the place so well and force Ellie to take over all their duties, letting her own daughters have their share of all Ellie's possessions. The only things she had allowed her to keep were a few old clothes and a locket containing pictures of her mother and father, something Anne-Marie found no worth in. 

At just 11 years old Ellie had found herself banished to the servants quarters, the buildings slowly falling into disrepair over the years where Anne-Marie refused to spend any money on them. She had to cook and clean up after them all, washing their clothing, walking the five miles to the nearest town to get their shopping and generally being treated worse than any slave could be. If she ever so much as spoke she was whipped with a belt, and she soon learned not to say a word or even look her stepmother directly in the eyes. 

She only had two things that made life at all bearable. One was the girl from the neighbouring estate, Rebecca White, who had been her friend when her father was alive and remained so now, even though it was dangerous to both girls if they were ever caught. The second were the books that Becky smuggled to her. She had quite a pile of them now, hidden carefully away in the stables where her stepmother and stepsisters would never find them, and she was eternally grateful to her friend for risking her own backside bringing them to her. 

Becky's father had remarried several years before to a much younger woman and she had hated Becky on sight. Becky's father had been a recovering alcoholic, but his new wife didn't want him to be recovering in any way. She tempted him back into drinking and then started telling lies about Becky, lies that he always believed because he was always inebriated. Becky was often beaten and so she had an empathy for Ellie, knowing what the other girl went through. Even though Becky was beaten regularly, she still lived in the house in relative comfort, and she couldn't imagine what sort of life Ellie must be suffering living as she did in the servants quarters. For some years now she had been smuggling over whatever she could - food, clothing, books, things that she hoped Anne-Marie would never find. 

Ellie was very good with what she was given though. She managed to wear the articles of clothing with some of her old clothes, and Anne-Marie never seemed to notice. She hid the books in the stables and only ever read them after she was sure the entire house was asleep. 

She was never invited to eat with the family unless there was some special occasion and someone of importance was coming that would notice Ellie's absence. It was only at these times that she had the luxury of bathing in the main bathroom and dressing in beautiful clothes that Anne-Marie kept under lock and key. Servants were hired for the evening, having been given strict instructions not to let on that they hadn't always worked there. 

But these evenings weren't something that Ellie enjoyed, because she was still not allowed to be herself. She had a quick wit and an even quicker temper, something that she would forever be forced to keep under wraps, and if she engaged anyone in conversation she would be made to pay for it when everyone had left. The last time she had been unable to work in the house for two days and her stepmother had been forced to hire people to help out. She hadn't even bothered getting a doctor for her stepdaughter, not caring really if she lived or died. 

So it was something of a surprise when Anne-Marie sought Ellie out one day and actually smiled at her. "Come here, my dear," Anne-Marie said, sitting down delicately in one of the kitchen chairs while Ellie was cleaning the cooker. 

Ellie looked at her suspiciously, but she did as she was told, she knew what a monster this woman could be if provoked. 

"I have a treat for you tonight. You will be dining with us this evening and we will have some guests, one of which is eager to meet you. Now, take yourself up to the bathroom and bathe yourself, then I will give you the nice new clothes I have bought just for this occasion." 

Ellie hesitated. "But...but..I haven't finished my duties..." she began, only to be cut off by a sharp slap to the face. 

"Do not think to disobey me girl. Do as you are told!" Anne-Marie snapped at her, wiping her hand on a cloth as if even slapping Ellie had contaminated her. 

Ellie hurried off to the bathroom and started running a bath in the huge tub, only adding some oils after her stepmother had come in behind her and told her to do so. When the older woman left the room, Ellie reluctantly lifted her eyes to her own reflection, examining the person standing in front of her. She didn't have much opportunity to look at herself, and she wasn't fond of doing so when she did get the chance. Her stepsisters were not particularly attractive, but they had discovered plastic surgery some years back and now they had large breasts, small noses and fat lips. It didn't make them look much better, but with their long, peroxide blonde hair and the amount of make up they wore, they managed to attract the men. Ellie didn't think she would ever be able to attract anyone. She was short, only 5 ft 2, had long, dark curly hair with red lights in it hanging almost to her hips and large blue eyes. Her features were delicate, a small nose, full lips and a perfect oval of a face, the skin smooth and having a slight honey colour to it underneath the grime that accumulated on it. She couldn't see these things though, all she saw was a short, dirty looking girl, who had no obvious attractions. She couldn't see what a lovely figure she had, that her delicate hourglass figure was what men loved. Her mother had been truly beautiful, but after years of being told what a plain creature she was, she believed it to be true and that she looked in no way like her mother. 

She sighed and turned away from her reflection, quickly disrobing and stepping into the scented water. She cleared her mind of all thoughts and settled back under the bubbles, determined that she would enjoy this rare moment of luxury. But her stepmother wouldn't let her rest even now. 

She waltzed back into the bathroom and threw a razor down on the edge of the bath. "Make sure you rid yourself of body hair, we don't want you looking like an animal in front of our guests." 

Ellie shot a wide eyed stare at the older woman. All her body hair, she thought? Anne-Marie read that thought in her eyes and gave a sharp laugh. "No, you ridiculous child, just your legs and under your arms. I'm sure if you need to get rid of any other hair, that will be the choice of your new husband!" 

"Husband?" Ellie whispered, unable to help from voicing the word. What was her stepmother talking about? 

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? I have a potential husband coming to see you tonight, so I want you to look your best. He is willing to pay a fine price for your scrawny little carcass, and I want that money, so you will behave or you will regret it. Now hurry and ready yourself!" she snapped and left the room, slamming the door behind her. 

Ellie sat in a daze for a few seconds before realising what she was doing and washing herself, using the razor that Anne-Marie had brought her as well. She was being sold, she realised. And maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing considering how bad her life was at the moment. But to whom? 

After she had finished bathing and she was standing wrapped in a towel, her stepsisters strolled into the bathroom and looked her up and down with disdain. "Well, well," said the oldest one, Anya, her pumped up lips curling in a sneer. "Look at the little slave girl. She almost looks human without all that dirt on her!" 

"Yes," agreed the other one, Stephanie. "Almost." They both laughed as Ellie went red and lowered her eyes. "Stupid little bitch," Stephanie said, pushing Ellie to sit on the edge of the bath. "Here are your clothes for tonight, make sure you don't dirty them. And you must use the deodorants and perfumes on the side there, make yourself smell better than a stable for once." 

Ellie nodded obediently, secretly picturing herself tearing the other girls head off and using it as a football. Anya pulled at a strand of Ellie's hair. "Shame you're not blonde like us, the men prefer that. Still, I doubt the man you'll be marrying will care one way or another." 

It was so hard for Ellie to stop herself from asking who, but she knew that they wouldn't tell her anyway, not if they thought she wanted to know. She schooled her features to look impassive and Stephanie narrowed her eyes. 

"Don't you care who you're marrying?" she asked, watching as Ellie just shrugged. "God, look at her, she has no spirit at all, no brain. I shouldn't think he'll want her anyway!" 

"Well let's tell her, see if we can get a reaction then," Anya said, grinning maliciously. 

"Yeah, why not. His name is Mark Calloway, and he lives in that spooky old mansion on the mountain," Stephanie said, watching with glee as Ellie's face drained of colour and her eyes shot up to hers. 

Ellie had heard enough about the man when she was younger to get a picture she didn't like at all. Apparently he was some sort of giant and he was feared by all the townsfolk for his mean temper. She had heard him accused of devil worshipping and worse, called the beast by many, and the thought of being at the mercy of such a man terrified her. 

Stephanie and Anya both saw the fear on her face and laughed at her, glad that they could make her show some sort of emotion, and even happier that it was fear. They left the room and Ellie heard them talking to Anne-Marie, hearing the older woman join in their laughter as well. 

She felt trapped. She had nowhere to go even if she could run away, and she knew that would be impossible. On such an important occasion her Stepmother would have hired some men to guard the front gates so Ellie would have no chance of getting out at all. She felt her eyes fill with tears and she blinked them quickly away. She wouldn't show such a weakness in front of those three vixens. 

Anne-Marie called her out of the bathroom a few minutes later and looked her over in her new clothes, nodding when she saw what a good fit the long dress was. "Good, you're showing just enough cleavage to get him interested, but not too much. Why, if you weren't so dull you could almost look pretty. How surprising!" she said, giving one of her sly smiles. "Now come and have your hair done, my dear, and also your make up.. We must do what we can with such a plain face." She pushed Ellie down into a chair in front of the mirror and a young woman came into the room carrying a box of make up. 

A couple of hours later Ellie was sitting, stiff as a board, on the edge of one of the armchairs in the sitting room, waiting for the doorbell to ring and herald her doom. There was no way out of this and she knew it, but right now she just wished she were dead. 

Her stepmother had shut her in this room on her own and said she would only come and get her when the man in question arrived. Ellie jumped when the bell rang and she heard talking and laughter fill the hallway. It was obvious that guests were arriving now, and that they weren't this Mark Calloway person, at least not yet. 

When she did detect a deep voice coming from beyond the door she stiffened even further and her eyes shot warily to the door. She thought she would pass out when the door finally opened, and then nearly did when she looked up and saw the enormous man filling the doorway. 

Oh my God, she thought, all the rumours must be true. He looked to be about eight ft tall to her startled eyes and he was a rough looking man. He was dressed well for the evening, his hair was short and brushed back from his high forehead and he wore a dark well fitted suit. But to Ellie he looked dangerous. He had piercing green eyes underneath lowered brows and he had a dark scowl on his face, one that he looked like he always wore. His hair was red and she wondered if it was true what they said about redheads and their temperaments. She didn't ever want to find out, and she didn't want to be at the mercy of this man. 

Mark Calloway looked at the young girl sitting in front of him, his eyes coldly running up and down her slight form and then examining her face. She was pretty, he thought, which was a bonus. He had decided to buy a wife so he could get an heir to his estate, not wanting to go through the normal channels of finding a woman and getting married. People said he was an evil man, but in reality he was just bitter because of two failed marriages, especially his last one. He gritted his teeth when he thought of what that bitch had said to him before they split up. No woman would ever get close to his heart again, he decided, which was why he was now taking this route. This girl would do. 

"She is pure?" he asked the woman next to him, immune to her cold beauty, something that Anne-Marie did not like. 

"Yes, Mr Calloway, she is pure. She has never been near a boy, except before her eleventh year and only then when one of the boys from town made a delivery, but she was too young to take any sort of romantic interest. You can take my word for it that she is untouched." 

Amy was flushed from such talk by this point and she felt herself start to shake as he moved towards her, unable to hide her obvious fear from these hateful people. 

"Stand up, child," Mark ordered, towering over her. When she didn't immediately move he shouted, "Stand, I said!" 

Ellie immediately jumped up and stood before him, keeping her face lowered. His large hand came underneath her chin and lifted her face to his, his eyes taking in all the traces of her embarrassment and fear. "She doesn't seem very willing," he murmured. 

"She will do as she is told," Anne-Marie said, glaring at Ellie. 

"She had better," Mark replied, his fingers tightening briefly on her chin before releasing her. "Very well, I shall take her with me tonight. Make sure she is ready." 

"Do not worry, sir, she doesn't have many belongings to pack," the older woman said, smiling sweetly at the huge man. 

"Then pack nothing. I will arrange for all her needs," he said, giving the other woman a cold look that she backed down from. "In fact, I think it would be as well if we left immediately. I can arrange for the ceremony to take place in the morning." 

"As you wish. I will fetch her a coat." 

Ellie couldn't believe what was going on. She knew better than to say anything to anger her stepmother or this man. From what she had heard when she was younger he did not like people talking back to him, but she didn't know what he would do if she did. She didn't really want to find out. 

Her stepmother returned holding one of her own coats, an old one and far too large for Ellie's delicate build. But the older woman couldn't have cared less. She was finally getting rid of this little thorn in her side, and she couldn't have imagined turning her over to a better person. The child would learn her place soon enough. 

Mark took the coat from the woman and held it out to Ellie, obviously waiting for her to slip into it. She tried to get it on as quickly as she could, not wishing to anger him. 

Then everything happened so fast that she was in his chauffeur driven limousine before she had time to even blink, and he was slipping in next to her. Luckily the size of the vehicle made it possible for her to keep a fair distance away from him. She turned to look out of the window as the car pulled away, watching as the only home she had ever known receded into the distance. She had a feeling she would never see it again. 


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

****

****"Can you speak, child?" Mark's deep voice rumbled across at her and Ellie jumped, swinging round to look at him with large eyes. 

"Y...yes sir," she said quietly, her mouth dry with the fear and uncertainty she was feeling about her future. 

Mark nodded, his face not losing any of its stern expression. "Do you know what's going to happen in the morning?" 

"We're to be married," she replied hesitantly. 

"That's right. Do you know why I've chosen you to be my wife?" 

Ellie shook her head and Mark gave a small smile, which to her eyes looked evil. "I chose you because you came at the right price. I need a son to inherit my estate and I won't have him be a bastard. That's the only reason I'm marrying you, so if you have any dreams of happily ever after, you can damn well forget about them." 

Ellie didn't know how to reply to that and so she remained silent, her face paling slightly at the realisation that she would have to lay with this man, even though she didn't know him. 

"Nothing to say, girl?" Mark asked, raising one eyebrow. 

"No, sir," she mumbled. 

Mark frowned and his eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't be thinking of running away by any chance?" 

"No!" 

"You'd better not be, because I'm an excellent hunter, you wouldn't be too hard to find. And once I had found you, you'd wish you'd never been born. I don't tolerate insolence either, so be careful what you say to me. If I ever find you to be sharp tongued I will deal with you harshly, do you understand?" 

"Yes, sir," Ellie said, her voice getting quieter every time she spoke. She wasn't getting a good picture of what her life would entail. 

"So tell me...Ellie isn't it?...tell me what you think you'll be required to do at your new home?" 

"I...don't know....I assume I'll be cooking and cleaning, looking after your needs..." 

"Oh, yes, you'll be looking after my needs. You will be ready for me any time I wish to have you, do you understand that?" Mark asked her, his eyes glittering with some unknown emotion. He was tired of females trying to twist him around their little finger, now he knew better and this girl would do everything he wanted or she would pay dearly. His narrowed eyes ran down her body and then back up to her eyes, pinning her with a steely look. "Come here." 

Ellie stared at him dumbly, not wanting to be anywhere near him. "I said come here!" he bellowed, grabbing her arm and dragging her across the seat until she was sitting on his lap. She squirmed and tried to pull away from him, uncomfortable being so near to a man like this. His other hand moved up and grabbed the back of her neck, keeping her head still as he lowered his mouth to hers and roughly kissed her. 

Ellie had never been kissed before, although she had seen her stepsisters kissing men often, but she couldn't imagine that they would enjoy such a painful experience. He was crushing her lips underneath his and she tasted blood as the soft tissue was pressed against her teeth, forcing her to open her mouth. Mark was deliberately being brutal with her, unable to prevent himself from taking out his frustrations on her soft mouth. 

When he drew back he saw how swollen her lips looked and that her eyes were full of tears, but she surprised him because she didn't allow them to fall and she didn't say a word to him, instead lowering her eyes and pressing her trembling lips together. He nodded and thrust her back on the seat next to him. "Good, perhaps you'll be worth the money I paid for you after all. We'll soon find out." 

A short while later the car drove through the gates to the estate Mark owned and Ellie glanced out of the window, watching as they wound their way through the tall oak trees that bordered the long road to the house itself. And what a house. It was the most enormous mansion Ellie had ever seen, and the most dark. There were shutters on the windows and they were all closed at this moment, not letting any light out from the interior. Gargoyles and wicked looking goblins gazed down from their perches on the corners of the building. It could have been so beautiful, Ellie thought, if it was well kept and the shutters painted a soft colour, but she had a feeling that this was the way Mark liked it. Grim and disturbing, like himself. 

The car stopped suddenly and Mark threw the door open, not bothering to wait for the chauffeur to open it for him. He issued a sharp order to the man and then leaned in the car. "Come with me," he said, his voice quiet now but his eyes intent as he held his hand out and waited to see if she would do as she was told. Ellie was too frightened of him to disobey him and she took his hand, shivering slightly when his huge fingers engulfed hers and he pulled her out of the car. He walked to the front of the house and opened the door before thrusting her inside where her eyes took in the darkness and shadows that seemed to consume the interior. "Welcome to your new home," Mark said sarcastically as he took in her fearful look. 

*** 

_author note: this is a sub-plot, please don't be confused!!!_

Rebecca White sat curled up on the window seat in her bedroom, gazing mournfully across the extensive grounds that surrounded her house. She was trying desperately to take her mind off the pain she was experiencing from the latest beating her father had given her. She knew without looking that her back was a mass of red welts and bruises where his belt buckle had hit her, only now she felt that it was bleeding as well. She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand, hating herself for crying, hating even more the fact that her new 'mother' had witnessed those tears. The tales her stepmother, Isobel, had woven this time were at least partially true, but Becky still hadn't deserved such a punishment. Her father was so drunk nowadays that he was only vaguely aware of what he was doing anyway, and he never remembered anything the next day. Isobel had told him that Becky had stolen books from their own library and smuggled them over to her friend Ellie on the neighbouring estate, along with other items which she had claimed she'd taken. Apparently Becky was guilty of theft of Isobel's jewellery, something she had never done, and this beating was the outcome. Becky was sure that Isobel wanted her dead, and she had to admit that she felt like dying right at this moment. She tensed as her door opened and she turned her head slowly and painfully to see Isobel standing there looking triumphant. 

"I've got some wonderful news for you," the older woman said cattily, her eyes narrowing as she moved towards Becky. "You won't be able to take anything over to your friend Ellie any more, because she's gone." 

Becky frowned when Isobel didn't elaborate, hating having to speak to this woman to ask anything, but needing to know. "Gone where?" 

"She's been sold. Anne-Marie got a good price for her, or so I hear, from that man Calloway up on the mountain. She's to be his wife, they say. Such a shame he's taken, because I would have loved selling you to him instead. Still," she said, smiling nastily, "I'm sure we can find someone just as suitable given time." With that said she turned and left the room, not bothering to lock the door this time, a fact of which Becky wasn't ignorant. 

Ellie had been sold? Becky felt her stomach turn over as she thought of what her friend could now be going through. She, too, had heard the rumours about the man on the mountain and she knew Ellie was aware of them. The thought that she could suffer the same fate spurred Becky into motion and she realised she had to get away, before Isobel could make good her threat. She quickly packed a few items of clothing into a folded sheet and some toiletries, laughing almost hysterically as she wondered if she'd ever be able to use them, and then she tied the sheet up and picked up the bundle. It was freezing outside and she knew that they would be getting snow soon, so she set about dressing herself in a few layers of warm clothing, making sure she had several pairs of socks on her feet. She could barely fit her feet into her walking boots when she'd finished, but she thought that her shoes being a little tight was the least of her worries. Finally, she took one last look around her room and then crept stealthily out and down the stairs, listening carefully as she went. She could hear Isobel and her father in the study, the woman's tinkling fake laughter ringing out and her fathers deep voice mumbling something she couldn't make out. She slipped past the room and grabbed a thick coat, scarf and gloves from the large coat rack in the hallway, not putting them on straight away as she didn't want to get caught. Just as she put her hand on the front door to open it she heard soft footsteps behind her and she swung around to see who it was, her eyes wide with the fear of discovery. The old cook, Maude, was standing there, looking sad but understanding. 

"Maude..." Becky whispered. 

"Don't you worry, lass, you get going and God be with you. I won't say a word. The way they've been treating you and now what's happened to Miss Ellie.....you go and please, keep yourself safe." The old woman gently hugged Becky, mindful of her back, and she pushed her gently out of the door with tears in her eyes. 

Becky put the coat on and rushed through the rapidly darkening gardens towards the woods that spread out beyond the grounds for miles. Her biggest worry at this moment was getting lost in the dense forest, but she was willing to risk anything to get away from this house. 

It would have been so much easier, she thought, if she wasn't so scared of the dark, because night was drawing in and the woods were pitch black, not a hint of light to be seen anywhere. She looked up as she entered the dense woodland, hoping that maybe the moon would be out tonight and help her, but it wasn't to be. it was a dark, moonless night and she knew she would have problems navigating through the trees. 

But she had no choice, she had to do this. Surely getting lost in the woods was far better than the alternative, that of staying at her father's house with that evil bitch? 

She walked for what she estimated to be an hour, not having put her watch on before she left. The sky she could make out above the trees was now as black as the surrounding forest and she was finding it hard going, literally walking with one arm out in front of her so she could avoid walking into a tree. To make matters worse she suddenly felt something small and cold touch her cheek, and then another and another. 

"Oh great," she muttered as the snow started falling more rapidly. At least it would help light up the darkness somewhat. 

After another hour she was starting to panic. The snow was quite thick in places and, even with the extra socks and clothing she had put on, she could no longer feel her feet and just to keep walking was starting to feel agonising. She stopped walking and looked around her, trying to get her bearings, but she knew she was totally lost. It didn't really matter at this stage which direction she went in, because she could be ten metres or ten miles from the nearest road and she wouldn't know it until she stumbled upon it. She took a deep breath and plunged onwards, hoping against hope that she would find some sort of shelter before her strength gave out completely. 

Glenn Jacobs pulled his coat closer around him as he finished chopping wood and stood the axe next to the large tree trunk he used to chop the smaller logs on. He frowned when he heard a faint noise in the distance and raised his head, staring out into the darkened woods and seeing if he could make anything out. He listened for a few more seconds and then shrugged. Probably just his imagination, no living person except him would venture this far into the woods, especially not any of the villagers because they knew that he lived out here. They were all scared of him, even though they didn't know him, and he preferred it that way. He had only one friend, Mark Calloway, and he hadn't mentioned coming to see him anytime soon. 

He hefted some large logs up onto one huge shoulder and carried them into the warmth of his cabin, depositing them near the fireplace before he went back out and repeated the process. Before long he had put them all inside and was tidying away the tools he had used. He sighed deeply. He was so tired and yet he knew he had to finish all this before he could sit down and relax. His dinner was cooking over the fire, a huge pot of rabbit stew, and the smells of the succulent meal were wafting out of the cabin, making his mouth water. It reminded him that he had yet to reset the traps in the surrounding woods and he strode out to do the small task. 

He had barely taken any steps when his foot hit something and he almost fell. He turned and looked down at whatever it was that had tripped him up and was shocked to see a young girl laying unconscious in the snow, her face obscured by the swathe of black hair that covered it. The snow had fallen whilst she was unconscious and she was half covered with the freezing flakes. 

He cursed deeply as he studied her, half tempted to just leave her out here. But the heart that many thought was dead wouldn't allow him to do such a thing. He bent down and stroked her hair away from her face, his hand stilling as he took in her pale features. She was beautiful, he thought, unable to resist running a finger down her smooth cheek. Her eyes fluttered briefly at the contact, but she didn't wake up and he scooped her up, finding that she weighed virtually nothing at all in his arms. 

Just his luck, he thought, to find some helpless person so near to his cabin. Now, he supposed, he was going to have to look after her. Either that or let her die out here in the cold. He cursed again. Well, pretty she might be, but he was certain that when she woke up and saw his face she would run screaming. 

He carried her reluctantly into his cabin and hesitated over where to put her, not sure whether to put her into the bedroom where it was colder, or here on the sofa in front of the fire. She needed the warmth, he decided and put her down on the overstuffed sofa, unbuttoning her thick coat and drawing it open. He had to get rid of these clothes, too, because they were soaked through from the snow and she could well die from pneumonia if he didn't get her warmed and dry. He only hoped she didn't wake up whilst he was undressing her, the last thing he wanted was a hysterical woman screaming rape at the top of her lungs, even if there was no-one out here to hear her except him. He knew what his temper was like and he knew that that sort of reaction would likely make him lose it. 

He quickly and efficiently stripped the clothing from her small body, trying not to let his eyes linger on the soft flesh he revealed. But when he got down to the last layer of clothing she was wearing he found it stuck to her back and he turned her gently over in his arms, staring in shock at the dried blood that was causing it to stick. What the hell had happened to her? he wondered, laying her back on the sofa on her stomach and fetching a bowl of water and a cloth. 

He wet her shirt and slowly started to remove the material from her raw back, using more water when necessary to loosen the stiff cloth. When he had released it he took the top off and bathed her back, frowning as he carefully wiped over the red welts, half of them cut open and bleeding. Who had done this to her? 

When he was quite sure the wounds were clean, he dried her and rubbed some antiseptic ointment into them and then took the bowl back into the kitchen. He was grateful now that he had a fully stocked medicine cabinet, because up until now he had never needed to use any of it. Now, he took a fresh bandage down from the shelf, one that was used for making a sling, and some sticking plaster, carrying them into the main room and kneeling back down next to her prone figure. 

He made quick work of folding the large bandage into the right shape and placing it over the girls back, using the plaster to stick it in place, being careful not to put any of the plaster over the ends of any cuts. Finally, satisfied with his work, he finished removing her clothing and went in search of a robe for her. He came back with one of his own towelling robes, the only thing he could find that tied in any way and would have even a faint hope of staying on her body, which was tiny compared to his. He put it over her back and slipped her arms into it, manoeuvring her until she was across his lap and he could wrap it around her and tie the belt. He took a quick indrawn breath when he saw her naked breasts, a slight flush of colour moving up over his face at the sight of such beauty displayed before him. He gritted his teeth and covered her, his face grim as he tied the belt and then laid her on her side on the sofa. 

It had been some time since he had been with a woman and his body had reacted predictably to her nakedness. Thank god she wasn't awake, he thought. He fetched a blanket and tucked it firmly around her, watching her eyebrows twitch as he did so. She had stirred several times when he had been bathing her back, but she still hadn't awakened. He frowned as he thought about that. He hoped he didn't have to go into the village and kidnap the doctor, because he knew the little man wouldn't come here of his own accord. No, he would keep an eye on the girl and when she woke up he would feed her and send her on her way. If she needed a doctor, then she could damn well find one herself. 

Glenn had a deep mistrust of people which was the reason he had retreated to these woods and had built this cabin. He wasn't short of money, and he had a large home beyond the forest, but he rarely went there anymore, preferring his own company. He was sick and tired of the way people looked at him, at the fear that they couldn't disguise. The women were the worst, he thought grimly. He ran a finger down the crooked scar that blemished one side of his face. Disgust was the emotion he usually saw on women's faces, occasionally pity. He couldn't stand either one. He had never known anyone to look at him with love or trust. Everyone he met was scared of his sheer size, everyone except Mark Calloway, and that was only because he was the same size himself, and he distrusted people in much the same way. They had become friends because of their mutual dislike of people, but they soon found they had more than that in common. Mark was possibly the only other person in the world who had seen him smile, something he didn't do very often anymore. 

He looked at the girl again and wondered who she was. She was young, maybe no more than twenty, and very pretty. Somebody, somewhere must be worrying about her by now. Maybe he should try and wake her up? he thought and kneeled down next to her again, putting one big hand on her shoulder and giving her a gentle shake. 

"Hey, wake up," he said slowly, his voice sounding rusty even to his own ears where he hadn't spoken to anyone in a while. He watched as her eyebrows drew together and her eyelids flickered, but after a second she settled down again. 

He gave her another shake and this time her eyes shot open and she stared straight at him, her eyes growing huge in her face when she saw him leaning over her. 

Glenn gave a tight mocking smile and waited for her to scream, and he was shocked when her features relaxed and she just looked at him curiously. "Who...who are you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. 

He stared into the large clear blue eyes that were studying him and tried to find any hint of fear or pity, but could find none. What was the matter with this girl? She should be terrified to find herself in a strange cabin with an even stranger man, but she only looked faintly wary and very curious. Her voice bought him out of his musings. 

"Sir? I'm sorry...how did I come to be here?" she asked, worried when the man hadn't answered her previous question. She let her eyes roam over his face, taking in the rugged contours and the deep scar that marred what would otherwise have been a very handsome visage. His brown hair was long and curly, slightly unkempt and hanging over his eyes, which were a warm hazel and he was currently frowning at her, his mouth a tight line underneath a beard and moustache. Becky glanced quickly around her and tried to sit up, groaning as she did so and felt her back start stinging intolerably. 

"No!" Glenn said, not intending to shout but shouting all the same and making her jump. His voice softened when he saw her reaction, the first fear she had shown since she had woken up. "No, don't move, you'll hurt your back. Lay still and let me get you some food," he offered, rising to tend to the stew, giving himself time to think. 

What the hell was the matter with him? He was going to feed her and kick her out right? Yeah, right, he thought. Like she was in any condition to go back out there tonight, or even tomorrow. He shouldn't care, he told himself, but she hadn't been scared and she hadn't cringed away from his face. He shook off the thoughts and filled a bowl with the steaming stew, moving back over to her and offering it to her without a word. 

Becky took the bowl and smiled shyly at the man, sniffing appreciatively at the food, her stomach grumbling loudly where she was so hungry. "Thank you, it smells wonderful. Are you sure you have enough...?" 

"There's plenty, just eat," Glenn said abruptly, feeling a bit uncomfortable having another person in his cabin with him. 

"Okay, I...well, thank you." 

He watched silently as she began eating, finding himself smiling at the amount she managed to consume and the speed with which it disappeared. She finished the bowl and gave a happy sigh, feeling full and warm, even if her back was giving her quite a bit of pain. Her eyes opened and she found the man staring at her again, his eyes holding hers for a second before he took the bowl and placed it on the hearth, fetching another for himself and filling it. Becky stared, wide-eyed, at the sheer size of this man. He was like a giant! she thought, watching the way his shirt stretched across his huge shoulders, the way his enormous muscles bunched underneath it when he sat down. Glenn caught that look and quickly turned his attention to his food. 

Why had she been looking at him like that? he thought. She didn't look scared, she looked...he frowned. He couldn't work out exactly how she had been looking at him, but it hadn't been in a bad way, he was sure of that much. 

"What's your name?" Becky asked softly and Glenn jumped, not having expected to hear her speak again, for some reason. 

"er...Glenn. My name is Glenn Jacobs," he muttered, starting to eat again. 

"Glenn," Becky murmured, trying his name out for size. She was a bit overawed. She had no idea how she came to be in this cabin, or why she felt oddly comfortable being here. But she found this man fascinating. He was enormous and he was nice looking too, even with that scar. He didn't seem very inclined to talk though, and she glanced nervously around the cabin, taking in how cosy it was. She shifted underneath the blanket and suddenly realised she wasn't wearing her clothes anymore and she lifted the blanket to see what she had on. It was some sort of robe, by the looks of it, and it had to be his because it was about ten sizes too big for her. She shifted again, trying to work out what she was wearing underneath it, her cheeks going pink when she found out she was completely naked beneath the towelling. 

Glenn glanced up when he heard her gasp, and he saw her looking underneath the blanket, her face bright red. Her eyes shot up to his. "Who...where are my clothes...who..." she stuttered, looking incredibly embarrassed. 

Her discomfort made Glenn feel more relaxed and he gave her a rusty smile. "I had to take your clothes off, they were soaking wet and you could have become seriously ill. I've got a dryer out in the back room, so I can have them dry by morning. In the meantime I thought you'd be better off wearing my robe," he explained easily, surprised at himself. 

"Oh, of course....It was cold outside...." 

"Yeah, it was. You were laying underneath a blanket of snow, and if I hadn't tripped over you, you'd have been dead by morning." 

"I see....oh...well...thank you..." she stuttered again, swallowing as she thought of this big man seeing her naked. 

Glenn studied her quietly. He wondered if her face could go a deeper shade of red than it already was, but he doubted it. "What's your name?" he asked her. 

"Rebecca White, I live....I lived just beyond the forest," she said, grimacing as she thought of why she had run away. 

"And how did you come to be here?" Glenn asked, wanting to know how she had come here and also how her back had come to be in its present condition. 

Becky looked at him, biting her lip and wondering how much she should tell him. He was a stranger after all, and he might feel obliged to take her back home. Her indecision was clear to see and Glenn narrowed his eyes. "Don't try lying to me, because I'll know if you do," he advised her, his chin raising. 

"I wouldn't lie, I just don't want you to...I don't want to go back," she said, biting her lip so hard now that it started to bleed. 

Glenn dropped his eyes to her full lips and reached out one big hand, his thumb smoothing across the bottom one and pulling it out from between her teeth. "Don't hurt yourself, honey, just tell me what happened," he said gently, surprising himself again at his tone and the endearment he had used. He wasn't a nice person, anyone could tell her that. But for some reason she made him want to be nice. 

Becky blurted out the whole sorry story and then burst into tears, unable to suppress her emotions with the fear and worry about what would happen to her now. Glenn stared at her, his eyes widening as she cried. He wasn't used to this, and he didn't quite know how to handle it, but he swallowed down his own trepidation and pulled her towards him, folding his arms around her as she cried. Okay, he thought, this isn't so bad. In fact, it felt quite nice, and she obviously wasn't complaining. Her hands were clinging to his shirt front and she was resting her cheek against his massive chest, feeling his heart beating steadily behind the thin fabric. 

He rocked her slowly, listening as her crying slowed and her shoulders stopped shaking, her body relaxing against him. It took him a while to realise she had fallen asleep and he laid her carefully down on the sofa again, wrapping the blanket more securely around her and stroking her hair back from her tearstained face. 

He had finished his food and he was incredibly tired, wanting to go to bed, but he didn't know whether to leave her in this room all night. Oh, to hell with it, he thought, picking her up and carrying her through to his bedroom. He couldn't leave her out there in case she woke in the middle of the night and panicked, he reasoned, so it was better that she stayed with him and he could explain himself to her in the morning. He balanced her on his knee whilst he pulled back the thick quilt on the bed, laying her down and then covering her up again. 

Becky was vaguely aware of a floating sensation and then something soft under her back and she snuggled deeper into the softness, her head burrowing into the feather pillow. Glenn moved out of the room and set about securing the cabin for the night, damping down the fire and putting the fireguard in front of it. He locked all the doors and then switched the lights off before going back into the bedroom. 

He wondered briefly if this wasn't a huge mistake on his part, because the sight of a woman laying voluntarily in his bed made his heart clench. This was something he had secretly longed for over the long, lonely years, something he knew was just an illusion at the moment. That fact didn't stop a spark of hope from lighting up within him. 

After a quick visit to the en-suite bathroom he pulled his clothes off, all except his shorts, and climbed into the huge bed next to Becky. He couldn't relax, though. The fact that there was someone in his cabin with him had made him feel slightly uncomfortable anyway, the fact that that person was a female and was in his bed made him feel even more so, but in an entirely different way. 

When Becky gave a small sigh and turned over in her sleep, burrowing closer to him, he tensed, wondering what to do when one of her arms flung out and over his chest. He knew he couldn't lay awake all night worrying about what she was going to do next, so he took a deep breath and pulled her over towards him, settling her head on his shoulder and encircling her with one arm, the other pulling the covers more securely over them both. This was much better, he decided, a smile of pure bliss settling on his face as he enjoyed the comfort of a warm body against his own for the first time in years. 

His eyes closed and he fell asleep, the smile still on his lips as he drifted into dreamland. 


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Ellie was sitting at one end of a huge oak table, trying to eat the rich food that had been served up by the staff at Mark's house, but she was so nervous that she felt nauseous and she knew that if she ate much more she would be sick. She took a sip of the wine, trying not to grimace at the sharp taste. Probably it was incredibly expensive, but she wasn't used to alcohol in any form and she didn't like it. Her eyes darted nervously to the other end of the table where the man himself sat, eating heartily of the food he had been given. The table was enormous so he was quite a distance away from her, and so far he hadn't tried to initiate any conversation, something that Ellie was grateful for. 

When they had arrived he had called for his servants and she had been shown to her room by a kind middle-aged woman, who had told her she was the housekeeper here. Ellie hadn't even had the presence of mind to ask the woman's name, still recovering from the way she had been brutally kissed in the car. 

She broke out of her thoughts when she heard his chair scrape back from the table, her eyes shooting up to his to see what he was doing, her breath coming in shallow pants when she saw he was heading towards her, his face unreadable. 

"Have you finished?" he asked her, his deep voice rumbling down at her from his great height. 

"Y..yes..Sir," she stammered, cringing involuntarily when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her up in front of him. He was so tall that she didn't even reach his shoulder in height, and her neck was already starting to ache from having to look up at him. 

"Come with me," he said sharply, turning and dragging her from the room and then up the staircase. 

"Where are we going?" she asked breathlessly, her voice a little high-pitched in panic. 

He stopped suddenly and she barrelled into his chest as he turned around, his hands shooting out and steadying her. "Didn't I tell you never to talk back to me?" he asked her, his voice harsh. 

"Yes...but..." she tried talking, wondering what he was going to do even though she had only been asking a question. 

"Don't say 'but' to me girl, I told you never to talk back to me. Maybe I'll let this one slip as my rules are new to you, but don't let it happen again, understand?" 

Ellie nodded frantically, feeling like crying when he resumed their path and dragged her the rest of the way up the stairs and along the corridor. He took her into her room and closed the door behind them, his action of locking it making her freeze in the middle of the room. 

"Now," he said, walking slowly towards her, his eyes running up and down her body, "let's see if your stepmother placed too much value on your hide. Take your clothes off," he ordered her, folding his arms across his impressive chest and waiting. 

Ellie stood with her mouth open staring at him and trying to think of a way out of this. No-one had seen her naked since she was a tiny child, and she had no intention of stripping in front of a stranger, no matter what he might do to her. Whatever he could do to her once she was naked would probably be far worse than any punishment now. She gulped down her fear and shook her head, her lower lip trembling as she did so. 

Mark's eyebrows lowered over his dark green eyes, his face taking on a look of amazement. "Didn't you hear me girl? Strip!" he said, his voice louder this time. 

"N..no," she said as loudly as she could, her throat constricted with fear as she backed up a few steps, feeling her eyes fill with quick tears. 

"No?" he bellowed, reaching out one arm and closing his hand around her throat. "Did you dare say no to _me_?" 

Ellie's hands grabbed at his wrist, trying to remove it from her neck, but he was too strong and far too angry for her to make him let go. He was going to kill her, she decided, her mind going blank as terror overwhelmed her. Suddenly her last instincts for self preservation kicked in and she lashed out at him, landing a few blows with her foot on his legs, using her fists and hitting his arm and stomach, anything she could reach. 

Mark stood still and took in the fury currently trying to attack him, his temper exploding when she actually managed to wind him with one of her small fists. He hauled her by her throat over to the bed and threw her down on it, not feeling even the smallest bit of pity when she hit her head on one of the bedposts and lay there dazed. 

His hand went to the neckline of her dress and he tore it straight down the middle, exposing her body to his eyes. She started to struggle again when she felt the cool air on her flesh and he tried to pin her wrists to the bed, but surprisingly she moved too fast and managed to punch him squarely on the nose. He couldn't believe it when a trickle of blood crept down onto his moustache and he reacted without really thinking, slapping her with the back of his hand across her face, only to receive another blow back. It had been a weaker blow this time, but still enough to enrage him out of all proportion and he slapped her again, harder. 

Her head whipped sideways and she finally lay still, the blow knocking her senseless. Mark glared down at her and compressed his full lips. He couldn't believe the way she had acted, or the barely remembered feelings that were slowly creeping up on him. He felt guilty! For God's sake, he actually felt guilty! He had bought her for exactly this reason, and now he felt guilty because he had been rough with her. 

But in truth he knew that her face would probably haunt him tonight, the terror he had seen clearly in her eyes as she defied his order to strip. He felt a small smile tug at his lips that such a tiny creature would dare to argue with him, but he soon stopped smiling when he looked down at her half naked body laying unconscious on her bed. Maybe she didn't deserve what he had been about to do to her, or what he had already done, but he was damned if he was going to let her know that! He quickly pulled her dress to cover her and left the room, bellowing for the housekeeper at the top of his lungs. 

When the older woman appeared he frowned down at her, trying not to look as guilty as he felt. This woman had known him since he was a little boy and she was as close to him as a mother ever could have been. He hated looking bad in her eyes above anyone else, which often made him snap at her when he knew he was in the wrong. 

"Go and tend to the girl," he said abruptly and walked briskly away from her before she could ask any questions. 

Ellie slowly opened her eyes and focussed on the bedspread underneath her cheek, moving her head slowly to look around the room. She was alone again, laying on her bed with the bodice of her dress draped over her nakedness. She cringed when the door opened, but it was just the housekeeper. 

"Oh, my dear," the woman said, bustling over to sit on the bed and inspect the damage. Her hand softly brushed over Ellie's cheek, tracing the bruise that was already forming there. "Sit up darlin'," she said, helping the young girl into a sitting position. Ellie clutched at the ruined dress, and her eyes filled with tears. 

"Where did he go?" she asked quietly. 

"Don't you worry none, darlin', he ain't gonna do nothing like this again, not after I'm through with him anyway! Come on in the bathroom and we'll get you cleaned up," she said, taking her into the nearby bathroom and sitting her on the edge of the tub. 

She introduced herself as Lizzy Green and she explained that she had been the housekeeper for as long as she could remember, ever since the master was young at least. She kept up a constant stream of chatter to try and take Ellie's mind off the fact that her nose was bleeding from the blow she had received. When she had cleaned up her face she stood back and looked the girl over. 

"Now then, is there anything else that I can't see? Don't be shy darlin'," she said, giving a smile. 

"I...I hit my head, I think...." Ellie whispered, starting to feel slightly woozy. She bent her head at the other woman's insistence and winced when she found the lump on her scalp. 

"Yeah, there it is," Lizzy said, tut-tutting as she cleaned up the small wound. "It's bleeding a little, but it's just a small surface cut so it isn't too bad. My God, when I get my hands on that boy..." she mumbled, shaking her head as she efficiently tended to Ellie. 

She helped Ellie out of her ruined dress despite her protests and went to get something for her to wear, returning a short while later with a night-dress that would cover her from her neck to her toes. "I imagine you'd like to just be anywhere but here, wouldn't you? Probably back at home safe in your own bed, hmm?" 

"No," Ellie replied tonelessly. "I was never safe at home either, so it doesn't really matter where I am, not really," she mumbled, walking like a zombie into the bedroom and curling up on the bed on her side. 

Lizzy stared at the young girl, her brow creasing with concern. Such a young girl to be so empty of any life, she thought, and wondered what she had endured in her life to make her so sad. Well, at least she could keep her safe in some small measure, she thought, heading out of the room to look for Mark. 

She found him in his study swirling a glass of whisky under his nose, and her eyebrows rose in surprise. He very rarely drank these days, so he must be feeling bad about the girl to be drinking now. He glared at Lizzy as she walked in the room and closed the door behind her, and she glared right back with her hands on her hips. 

"What?" he snapped, looking fierce, an expression that most people would have backed down from. 

"Don't you 'what' me, boy! What do you think you're playing at, attacking that poor girl like that?" Lizzy snapped back, her eyes narrowing as his face flushed with guilt. 

"I didn't attack her," he said, not making eye contact with her. 

"Really? She sure looked like she'd been attacked. Well, you'll be pleased to know that I've cleaned her up and she's laying down, probably wishing she was dead, I shouldn't wonder!" 

Mark took a swallow of the whisky, letting it burn it's way down his throat as he thought about the girl he had bought. "So?" 

"So? So go and apologise to her!" Lizzy said, looking at him in amazement. She didn't like the man he had become, someone ugly and hateful, a man born out of betrayal. 

"I will not!" he shouted, slamming his glass down on the desk. "I paid for her and I will get my money's worth out of her, regardless of how she 'feels'!" 

"Yeah, I've already heard the rumours. That bitch of a stepmother of hers sold her, how do you think that girl must feel about that? Her whole life has been turned upside down and then you go and hurt her..." 

"I already told you I don't give a damn how she feels!" Mark interrupted her, his anger stemming from the fact he knew he was in the wrong. 

"And you're planning to marry her tomorrow?" 

"Yes, I am. And if you don't like it, old woman, then you can leave!" 

Lizzy shook her head sadly. "And leave that girl alone with you? I don't think so. It will be nice for her to see at least one friendly face in this house, if her life here is gonna be as bad as I think it will." She stared at the big man behind the desk, her eyes softening. He was like a son to her, since she had been with his family since he was a child and his parents had been coldly indifferent to him. She and her husband Carl, the gardener here, had treated him like their own. "Shame on you, Mark, for doing such an awful thing. What's happened to you?" 

Mark shifted uncomfortably and turned to look out of the window. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Take care of the girl and get her ready for the ceremony tomorrow. I won't...I won't do that again, I promise," he said quietly and Lizzy gave a small smile, leaving the room and closing the door quietly behind her. 

Mark sat staring out over the extensive grounds that surrounded his house, his full lips tightened in a grim line. Lizzy was right, of course, he should be ashamed of himself, and he was. He had never struck a woman in his life and it left a bitter taste in his mouth to have hit someone who deserved it so little. What the hell had happened to him? Sure, he was bitter because of his failed marriage. His second failed marriage, his mind helpfully put in. After what his last wife, Sara, had said to him when they split up, he had started hating all women with a vengeance. 

His eyes darkened as he remembered the afternoon he had returned home, hoping to surprise his lovely bride. Well, he thought, smiling grimly, she had definitely been surprised. She had been in the middle of a passionate romp with one of the young studs from town, and he had just about gone crazy when he had seen them, picking the man up as though he were a rag doll and literally throwing him from the room. He didn't know whether he would have started in on his wife, he knew he had been angry enough to, but she had started flinging insults at his head and laughing at him. Her words still had the power to wound him, even in memory. He had always been a little self conscious about his immense size, and she had called him a freak, told him how she had just tolerated him so she could use his money, how she had secretly laughed with her friends when she spoke about how useless he was in bed, how ugly she thought he was....it had gone on for some time. He had thrown her out of the house and divorced her, burning all the things he had ever bought for her, all except a small gold rose pendant that hung on a simple thin gold chain, a gift he had bought to give to the woman he loved. A gift that had never been given at all. This he kept in a glass case in one of the turret rooms, a room no-one else was ever allowed to go in. To this day he didn't know why he had kept it. 

He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to shake off the depression that thoughts of Sara always brought on, his thoughts returning to the girl who would now be his wife. He had heard about her, heard how her stepmother wanted rid of her, and he had deliberately offered a large sum of money to the cold woman, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist. He wasn't blind, he had seen how fearful the girl had been of the woman and he pretty much knew what her life had been like, if gossip in the town was anything to go by. She looked the complete opposite of Sara and that was one of the reasons he had chosen her, and he had fully intended to use her for his own pleasures, hoping that a child would come of the union. Now, even before the ceremony had taken place, he was regretting his actions and seeing things from her point of view. He had been labelled 'the beast' by villagers, rumours abounded of his violent actions whenever someone trespassed on his land. But he had a small spark of compassion in him that usually wouldn't see the light of day. This day, however, was different, and he felt like a heel. Lizzy, as always, had been right again. He knew he should apologise to the girl and he found himself standing up and making his way up the stairs before he even consciously thought about it. 

Ellie didn't move when she heard the bedroom door opening again, knowing it wasn't Lizzy this time by the heavy footsteps that moved across the room towards her. She tried not to tense when a heavy weight sat on the edge of the bed, but she couldn't help it, a small shiver running through her; a shiver that intensified when a large hand descended on her shoulder. 

"Turn over," his voice made her shiver again, but she obeyed his order, her face expressionless as she lay on her back so he could see her. 

Mark stared at Ellie's face and lifted one hand to stroke the bruise that was forming on one side of it, grimacing when she flinched, but otherwise stayed perfectly still. "I didn't mean to do this," he said slowly, his voice deep and hesitant and her eyes briefly flickered to his before jerking away again when she saw that he was staring at her intently. "I apologise for hurting you," he continued, watching as she looked at him in shock again and then looked away, the only other sign that she had heard him was the increased tempo of her breathing. "Am I forgiven?" 

Ellie looked at him again and this time found she couldn't look away from his mesmerising eyes, their deep green light piercing into her. She tried to think of something to say, but couldn't find anything. What could she say? Yes, you're forgiven, master? He owned her and he now had every right to do with her what he wanted. This was probably just some trick he was going to use to torment her and then he'd hurt her again. 

Mark saw the distrust on her face and couldn't blame her for feeling that way, but he couldn't help feeling a little irritated as well. He never apologised for anything, ever, and it hadn't come easy to him although he thought he had done a pretty good job of it. "Well?" he asked her, his voice harder than before making her jump. Still she remained silent and his brows drew together in a fierce scowl. 

Ellie watched the anger fill his face and waited for the blow to come, knowing he would probably punish her for not speaking, but in truth she really didn't know what to say. 

"For God's sake, can't you speak at all?" he said, his voice rising at what he considered to be stubbornness and his hand grabbed her chin and raised her head up. He actually felt her gulp underneath his hand. "Speak!" he bellowed, his anger completely taking over now. "You stubborn little bitch, to think I actually apologised to you! Well, darlin', hell will freeze over before it happens again, you can be sure of that. You don't want to speak to me, then fine, but you ain't gonna leave this room or eat or drink one thing until you do!" He pushed her back on the bed, ignoring her stricken expression and marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him so hard that it nearly fell out of the frame. She shakily sat up on the bed and listened, but she hadn't heard a key turn in the lock when he had slammed the door, and she briefly thought about escaping. A hysterical giggle burst out of her mouth as she thought about that. It was really a case of 'how would you like to die'? She could stay here and starve to death or run away and freeze to death, not much of a choice. But there was a third choice of course, she could talk to him and then let him beat her to death over many months. Her eyes closed on a wave of despair. What had she done in her life to deserve this? She let the weak tears that she had been holding back for years seep from under her eyelids and gave vent to her depression, crying into the pillow until her exhausted body fell into a fitful sleep. 

She was woken the next morning by Lizzy rushing around the room, placing different items of clothing over the end of the bed and tutting as she rummaged through the wardrobe. She looked up and saw that Ellie was awake, giving her a reassuring smile. 

"Good, good, you're awake. Now come on, get in that bathroom and have a shower and we can get you all nice and ready," she said, ushering Ellie into the bathroom. 

"Get ready?" Ellie asked, standing in the middle of the plush bathroom and staring at the older woman. 

"Yes, for the wedding, my dear. I have your dress all ready for you and some nice shoes that the master ordered for you. I even think I have some nice ribbons and things for your hair, I'll go and get them once you're in the shower. Now, quickly, we only have an hour before the minister arrives!" With that Lizzy pushed Ellie further into the room and left, rushing off to find something pretty to put in her hair. 

Ellie was in shock. She knew this was what was supposed to happen today, but after he had told her she wouldn't be leaving the room she assumed that he had changed his mind. Apparently not. She hurriedly undressed and stepped into the shower, washing and rinsing as quick as she could, not wanting to keep him waiting in case the consequences were bad. 

By the time she was dried and left the room with a towel wrapped around her, Lizzy had returned and was waiting with a bunch of underwear in her outstretched hands. "Put these on, there's a girl, then we can get this lovely dress on you." 

Ellie automatically put the underwear on, glad that the woman wasn't looking in her direction. She glanced at the dress and her eyes widened. It was beautiful. A proper wedding dress, fitted satin bodice covered in white embroidery, lace and pearls, a full skirt with an overlay of exquisite lace. If only it was a proper wedding, too, with a man she loved. She allowed Lizzy to slip the dress over her head and fasten it at the back, turning her to look at her reflection in the mirror. Ellie couldn't believe what she saw. For the first time in her life she thought she looked quite pretty, the dress fitting her to perfection, accentuating her tiny waist and full breasts. It was sleeveless and strapless, and her creamy shoulders looked young and elegant above it. 

Before she could look any more, Lizzy pulled her to sit in front of the dressing table and started drying her hair, expertly coiling the long rich curls into an enticing mane down her back, pulling the sides up and pinning it against her head. She added a few small flowers and some ribbons, then placed a veil over it all, brushing it back from Ellie's face. 

"There, you look lovely," Lizzy said as she stepped back to admire her handiwork. "We just have to do something about that bruise..." 

Ellie looked in the small vanity mirror, seeing the bruise that covered one cheekbone with a purple colour. Luckily it wasn't very swollen, so if it was covered well it wouldn't be noticeable. Lizzy was a genius with make up as well as hair, and she covered Ellie's smooth skin with concealer, then added some mascara and some blush, as a last touch adding a slick of lip gloss to her full lips. 

"Oh, my, he won't know what hit him when he sees you, he really won't," Lizzy said, beaming proudly at her. 

Ellie took another look in the mirror and again was amazed at how well she looked with just a touch of make-up. "You look beautiful," Lizzy said. 

Ellie frowned a little, but didn't bother saying anything, she knew she would never be beautiful, but it was nice of Lizzy to say it anyway. She found herself being ushered out of the room and the veil pulled down over her face whilst a bouquet was thrust into her hands. "Good luck, darlin'," Lizzy whispered as she led her into the elegant ballroom and moved her to stand beside Mark, who had been waiting impatiently to get it all over with. 

He looked down as she joined him, his eyes roaming over her dismissively before he turned to the waiting minister and nodded. The man began the ceremony and Ellie had a feeling of being inside a dream, one she had no control over. She repeated what the little man told her to repeat and vaguely heard Mark doing the same before he slid a ring onto her finger and they were married. She felt his big hands on her upper arms and her eyes jerked up to his as he bent towards her, lifting the veil from her face, obviously intending to kiss his new bride. Ellie tensed but didn't try to get away, waiting for another brutal kiss like the one he had given her the night before. But she was surprised when his lips settled gently over hers this time, moving softly against her until she relaxed and he pressed a little harder, his tongue darting out and running along the seam of her mouth, coaxing it to open for him. 

Ellie's eyes flickered closed as her mouth opened a fraction, allowing his tongue inside where it stroked slowly against her own. She had never felt anything so good, she thought while she still could, her mouth mimicking his movements as he deepened the kiss yet further, pulling her small body up against him and wrapping his arms around her, lifting her off the floor and still ravishing her mouth. 

Mark had no idea why he was being so gentle, because he had intended to just give her a brief kiss and send her back to her room, but the fear in her eyes and her obvious expectation of brutality had made him want to get a response out of her. He had to admit it was good, even though she didn't really know what to do. She followed his lead and he pushed his mouth harder against her again, forcing her mouth wider open so he could really explore it. He felt his body harden against her thighs where he was holding her against him and he slowly became aware that they had an audience. It took all of his willpower to draw back from her and when he did he found himself smiling when she took her time opening her eyes, staring up at him with dazed blue pools as he held her off the floor. 

"Good morning, Mrs Calloway," he murmured and watched as her expression changed from one of dazed pleasure to one of fearful realisation. He slowly lowered her to the floor but grabbed her hand, wanting to keep her tethered to him. 

Lizzy and her husband Carl came over and congratulated them, along with a few other servants from the house, none of whom Ellie knew. The minister beamed at them and shook Mark's hand, and Lizzy directed them to a table at the back of the room on which she had placed several dishes of food, mainly breakfast foods because of the early hour. Mark watched as the minister and Lizzy filled plates for themselves and he pulled Ellie back a few paces, looking down at her with one eyebrow raised. 

"So, wife, are you going to speak to me today or would you prefer to starve?" he asked, looking impossibly arrogant and very stern. 

Ellie stared up at him and a spark of anger lit inside her that he would still carry out his threat even though they had just been married. She knew that to feel angry and let him see that was probably suicidal, but for some reason he managed to draw it out of her with that raised eyebrow. She tightened her lips and glared at him, earning a look of surprise and amusement from him. 

"Think carefully, Ellie, before you decide to defy me," he said, his voice low but his eyes still sparkling with amusement. "Because I won't return you to your room straight away, I'll make you sit and watch me eat first, so you can see what it is you're missing." 

Ellie could see the corners of his mouth curling in a smile as he looked down at her and she was incensed that he thought making her suffer was funny. She had been abused and laughed at her whole life, it seemed, and as scared as she was, she was also angry. 

Mark saw the light of anger in her eyes, mixing with her fear of him, and he found that he was amused by her display of temper. He found her intriguing. "Well, what's it to be? All you have to do is say 'good morning, my lord' and you can eat all you like." 

He watched as she took in a sharp breath when he said 'my lord' and then she gritted her teeth and lifted her chin, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him defiantly, trying to mask her fear of what might happen to her. 

He actually laughed. "If that's the way you want it, who am I to argue? We'll see how long you can go without food, shall we?" He kept hold of her hand and dragged her along with him as he filled his plate, piling the food up high and then sitting at the table, making her sit in the chair next to him. She tried not to look as he started eating, but she couldn't deny she was hungry and her mouth started to water as the smells of eggs and bacon reached her nostrils. Every time Mark looked at her she made sure she looked down and didn't show him how hungry she really was. She hadn't eaten much of her dinner the previous evening and had already not eaten for a whole day before she came here, so her stomach was actually starting to ache now. But, she reasoned, she had been left without food for much longer than this before and she had made it through, even though she had been so weak by the time her stepmother had fed her that she could barely lift her hands to eat the food. She had done it before, she could do it again. Besides, tonight would be her wedding night and she would rather starve than go through that. 

Mark watched her mutinous expression and gave a small smirk, eating his food with more enjoyment and smacking his lips together, making sure she could hear every mouthful. She wanted to be stubborn? Then she would have to suffer, at least for a short while. When he had finished his food he sat back with a huge sigh and patted his stomach, the smile on his face shrinking somewhat when he saw the way Lizzy and Carl were looking at him disapprovingly. He had the grace to look slightly ashamed, but he soon wiped the look off his face when he looked at Ellie again, noting the stubborn tilt to her chin. Whenever he felt guilty in the future, he told himself, he would just remember that look. He would teach her not to be stubborn and to do as he told her if it killed him! 


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Mark stood and dragged her out of the room with him, heading back upstairs to the bedrooms. This time, however, he didn't take her into the room she had previously been in but drew her along to one further down the corridor. When he opened the door and pushed her inside, Ellie looked around and realised this was his room. It was dominated by a huge four poster bed in dark oak, the whole room panelled in the dark wood, heavy embroidered drapes at the windows and heavy wooden furniture around the room. It was a very masculine room, but it was so dark and forbidding that she shivered. She sent him a confused look and he laughed. 

"This is your new room, Ellie, the room you'll be sharing with your new husband. Don't you like it?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he let go of her wrist and closed the door, advancing towards her even as she jerkily backed up until the bed hit her on the back of the legs, stopping her retreat. 

"In this room you do everything I say, when I say, without hesitation. Do you understand?" He watched as she nodded and then tilted his head to one side, looking down at her. "And do you object to that?" 

Ellie felt the anger from before surge through her again. She glared at him mutinously and nodded, vaguely wondering what he would do, but not caring too much either way. He'd do what he wanted. 

"So tell me what your objections are," he invited her, raising his eyebrow and smiling. He was obviously enjoying this, she thought, but she was damned if she was going to speak to him again. 

"I take it from your silence that you don't really have any objections then? Good, maybe we should begin then?" he said, raising one hand and giving her a gentle shove so that she fell back on the bed, gasping in shock. 

She struggled to sit back up but he came down on her, moving to grab her wrists in his big hands, but she intensified her struggles, trying desperately to keep her hands away from his. If he got hold of them she knew she would be helpless. She had never fought what had happened to her in the past, but for some reason she couldn't help fighting him, and she swung her fist towards him, catching him on the side of the face. 

"Dammit," Mark muttered, although it hadn't really hurt, it was just irritating that he couldn't get hold of her when he was so much bigger than her. He managed to grab the wrist of the hand that had attacked him and pin it over her head, but when he tried to grab the other one she twisted wildly underneath him, keeping her hand away from him. After managing to land a useless blow on his shoulder he got hold of her and pinned both arms over her head, looking down at her flushed face. He couldn't believe that even in this position she was still trying to fight him, her teeth gritted in frustration as she tried to use her knees on him. He moved his leg and used its' heavy weight to pin both her legs down, and finally she was helpless underneath him. 

He raised an eyebrow, slightly out of breath himself. "Finished?" he asked her, watching fear and anger chase each other across her face in rapid succession. His eyes moved down to where her breasts were heaving from her exertion, almost coming out of the bodice of the wedding dress, the strapless lace bar she wore showing over the top of it, and he found his body respond to the sight, something she couldn't miss because his groin was pressed against her hip. He slowly lowered his head to kiss her and she widened her eyes, turning her head away at the last second so his lips hit her cheek. He chuckled at her reaction and moved his lips slowly along her cheek towards her mouth, only to have her swing her head the other way so quickly that he couldn't get to her mouth at all. He lifted his head and looked down at her red face and wide eyes, giving her a wicked smile before moving her wrists together over her head so he could close one big hand around the both of them. 

She saw what he intended and tried to struggle again, her breath panting out of her as he used his free hand to grab her chin and anchor her head in place. This time when he lowered his head she couldn't escape and even though she tried to keep her lips firmly closed, she couldn't resist the way he kissed her, softly like he had downstairs, and she found herself relaxing against him. Her eyes closed and her mouth opened under his, allowing him access to the moist recesses and he took full advantage, his tongue shooting deep into her mouth and mimicking what his body wanted to do. 

She barely felt him release her wrists, his hands moving slowly down her arms and underneath her back so he could press her against his chest, flattening her breasts against the muscular surface. His hands were busy unfastening the tiny hooks on the back of the dress, but Ellie wasn't aware of that as his mouth totally took control of hers, forcing her lips wider and wider until she was as open to his onslaught as he wanted her. The feel of his big hands smoothing over her bare back registered faintly, but the warmth from his palms was strangely soothing as he stroked slowly over her silky skin. 

Mark was so caught up in kissing her that he almost ignored the strange feel of her back, but eventually he realised that it didn't feel as it should and he broke the kiss, rolling her slowly over underneath him and looking down at her flesh. His face froze when he saw the mass of tiny criss-cross scars that covered her back from just below her shoulder blades to the base of her spine. It was obvious she had been beaten on a regular basis, but to have so many scars the beatings must have been incredibly vicious, and he ran his fingers over them with an expression of pain on his face. Okay, so he had intended to use and abuse her when he had bought her, but he hadn't known just how hard her life already was. He felt a blast of anger towards the girls stepmother, because that was undoubtedly who had done this to her, and he knew he would find a way to make her pay for it. But along with the anger came the unwanted guilt again and he turned her back over, taking in her flushed face and wide eyes staring at him apprehensively. 

"Who did this to you?" he asked her slowly, his voice deep as he tried to keep his tone calm so as not to startle her, because at the moment he felt murderous. When she just stared at him for a second and then lowered her eyes and frowned, he took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. "Don't give me the silent treatment, Ellie, I'm not going to hurt you in any way, I just need to know." 

"My...my stepmother," Ellie whispered, biting her lip as though she had done something wrong in telling him. Mark suddenly realised that she had probably been conditioned not to say anything to anybody. 

"Did she tell you to keep quiet about the beatings?" he asked her, his face unconsciously stern and his teeth gritting when she nodded her head. "How often?" 

Ellie was confused. "How often...I don't understand...." she broke off and flinched when his other hand lifted and he frowned even deeper, hating that reaction even though he knew he deserved it. He stroked her hair out of her face and smoothed his features out, trying not to look as angry as he felt. 

"How often did she beat you?" 

"I'm not sure," Ellie confessed, trying to think of the pain she had endured at the hands of that woman, but her mind wasn't working properly with his huge body pinning her to the bed. 

"Every week? Every day?" he persisted. 

"Not...every day, but...every week, I think," she said, wondering why he was looking at her in that strange way. He almost looked concerned, but it must just be her imagination. 

"Was it just her?" he asked, his face stiff with leashed anger. 

"Mostly, but not always," she murmured, wondering why he cared. 

"Who else? Who else did this?" 

"A man she knew...I think his name was Richard and I know I heard him talking to her about his shop in town. I think he sold clothes...or underwear...something she liked anyway," Ellie shrugged, swallowing as her mouth was dry, mostly from the fact that she had just spoken more than she had for some time, maybe years. 

Mark couldn't believe what he was hearing. "And she just let him beat you? Without any reason?" 

"No, I'd usually done something wrong....one time I spilt the wine when I served the dinner and that was the first time he punished me." She said it so matter-of-factly that Mark winced. She actually thought it was normal. 

He breathed in sharply through his nostrils as a thought occurred to him. "Did he enjoy it?" 

"What?" Ellie asked, startled by the question. 

"Did he seem to enjoy hitting you?" he asked again, clarifying his question. 

Ellie tried to remember what the man had acted like, but mostly she remembered how much she had been hurting at the time. "I can't remember....I'm sorry, I can't..." she said miserably, wondering now what he would do because she couldn't answer him. 

He saw the fear in her eyes and smoothed her hair again, the act of being gentle feeling strangely unreal to him after having been cruel to people for so long. His fingers moved to her face and brushed over her cheekbone, feeling the slight swell there from his blow and he stared into her eyes. "I regret hitting you more than you'll ever know. You don't have to worry about anyone beating you, it'll never happen again." 

"You don't..." she began and had to swallow as she tried again. "You don't have to say that." 

Mark frowned. "Why not?" 

"It's just....you....you own me now," she explained. 

"Yeah, I guess I do, at that," Mark murmured, his eyes dropping to her mouth. He pursed his lips. "That means I can do what I like with you and you can't complain or stop me, right?" 

Ellie nodded, disappointed because she had briefly felt hope that he would maybe be kind to her. 

"In that case.....why have you been fighting me since we first got here?" he asked her, raising one eyebrow and waiting for her to answer. When she didn't say anything but just stared at him in surprise he found himself smiling. "Nothing to say? Hmm, maybe you won't fight me anymore then?" 

Ellie watched as his eyes lowered to her mouth, seconds before his lips followed suit and he started kissing her again, not holding her down this time except with his weight as he lay half over her torso. But all thoughts of refusal left her mind as his mouth pressed warmly down over hers, his lips full and sensual as they expertly parted hers and his tongue snaked inside the warm recesses to taste her. It was the most erotic thing she had ever felt with his lips pressing firmly on hers, his tongue touching the corners of her mouth and running just under her top lip. She found herself opening her mouth a little wider for him and moving her tongue slowly up to touch his, surprised at the fact that she could taste him and she didn't find it in the least repellent. In fact, he tasted wonderful and she lightly raked her teeth over his tongue, making him redouble his efforts and thrust his tongue deep into her mouth. He pulled back from the kiss only because he was having difficulty getting enough oxygen to his lungs through his nose, his body needing more as he became more aroused. 

Ellie felt his mouth leave hers with a sense of acute loss, but he didn't pull away from her, instead running his lips over her cheek and then down to her neck, nibbling and sucking softly at the slender column until he reached the curve between neck and shoulder. She jumped at the pleasurable sensations his touch caused in this area and she felt him smile against her skin. 

"Right there, huh?" he murmured into her ear before attacking her neck again, licking at the sensitive area and then biting gently. 

Mark felt her writhing under him even at such innocent love play and his body lurched painfully against her, seeking relief. He quickly moved his mouth down the slope of her breasts, pulling her loosened dress down over the curves and then moving to cup the firm mounds in his hands. She arched up under his touch, biting her lip when his thumb found a nipple and rubbed over it, feeling it peak quickly under his fingertips. He leaned down and took the hardness in his mouth, drawing on it through the lace of the bra. Ellie lifted her hands to his head to pull him away from her body at the shock of his first touch, but her hands slid into his hair and couldn't let go when he started suckling her. He quickly grew frustrated at the cloth being in his way and he sat back on his haunches, stripping her of the dress and underwear as quickly as he could without being rough. His own clothes started to follow, his shirt floating through the air and his hands unbuttoning his pants. The sight of her laying gasping on the bed without a stitch on stopped him from finishing his task as he came down on her again, his mouth returning to her breasts to feast on the beauty of her. 

The feel of his mouth without any cloth in the way was intense and Ellie whimpered as her body started to feel tight and nerveless, her hands clawing into his hair as her legs thrashed about. She wanted....she didn't know what she wanted, but she knew he could give it to her. 

She felt his mouth move down over her quivering stomach as if through a fog and then he gently pulled her thighs open, one big hand on each leg making it impossible to close herself to his avid gaze. His eyes fell to the soft folds he had uncovered, one hand moving up to run up and down the moistness he found there, making her almost jump off the bed when he discovered the small knot of nerves hidden within. 

He continued teasing the slick flesh even as she tried to protest, his fingers delving deeper until he could slide one long digit inside her, feeling her tense around it. He could feel the barrier inside her and couldn't hide the smile on his face. He would be her first and as far as he was concerned she would never lay with anyone else. He pushed his finger in and out of the tight warmth while he bent down and licked slowly at her, concentrating on the small nub that was rapidly swelling with arousal as he manipulated her. He added another finger to the first and scissored them, pushing at the entrance of her passage, massaging the walls. She was moaning and thrashing about at this point and when he felt her tightening yet further around his digits he withdrew and sat back to rip the rest of his clothes off, leaving her unfulfilled. 

Ellie lay back on the bed, panting from what he had been doing to her and stared at him, her mouth dropping open helplessly when he stripped off the last of his clothes and she saw for the first time the differences between men and women. Not having ever seen a naked man before, she wasn't sure if his size was normal or not, but he looked huge to her eyes and she felt her mouth dry out. 

Mark saw the look and lowered himself back to the bed, cupping her face in one big hand. "Don't panic, I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" 

"But..." 

He put his mouth over hers to silence her and then started slowly stroking her body again until she had totally forgotten her earlier fear and was almost begging him to end the torture. He smiled tightly as he positioned himself, wondering if he could actually go as slow as he needed to. He nudged against the slick folds with his arousal, parting them delicately and pushing inside as slowly as he could, tensing as he felt the tight walls of her passage closing around him like a wet fist, almost making him climax before he could get fully inside her. When he felt the barrier he stopped and started kissing her, his tongue shooting deeply into her mouth at the same time as he put pressure on her, his hip muscles bunching as he pushed slowly through the fragile membrane. His eyes widened and he looked into hers as he felt the barrier give and he entered her as deeply as he could, resting for a few seconds so she could adjust to the invasion. 

Ellie's pupils dilated as a fierce pain tore through her body when he took her virginity, her gasp of pain swallowed as he kissed her. She felt tears trickle down from her eyes and winced when he settled fully inside her, wondering how long the pain would last. 

Mark felt her erratic breathing and drew his head back, staring at her pained expression, even though he had tried to be careful. For a second he thought of how he had originally planned to just take her and slake his own lust, and he was thankful he hadn't. He would have damaged her physically had he acted in that way, and he briefly wondered why he was suddenly being nice, regardless of the fact that it actually felt good. He dropped small distracting kisses over her face and neck until he felt some of the tension go out of her, her body starting to relax as the pain eased. When he looked at her again she was staring right back at him, a look of amazement in her eyes when he flexed his hips slightly, giving her a rush of pleasure that replaced the pain. He moved his hand down to her soft stomach and stroked over it slowly. "Better now? Has the pain gone?" 

She licked her lips and nodded, her eyes closing when he moved his hips from side to side just to be sure she wasn't lying to him. He could see the pleasure on her face and so repeated the movement, a deep laugh rumbling from his chest when she gasped and arched her back, her arms going to his shoulders to draw him down on her again and her legs lifting up to curl at his waist. The feel of her tightening around him at the change of position made him grit his teeth as he started to move, trying to control himself. Nothing had ever felt this tight, he thought, feeling her body hold him firmly as he moved back and forth inside her. Every time she arched her back and thrust her hips up at him unconsciously he had to almost bite through his tongue to keep it slow and steady, but finally he snapped, her fingernails digging into his back pushing him past his limits and he started thrusting into her hard and fast, glad to feel her move with him every step of the way. 

The feel of her body starting to spasm made him intensify his efforts, until he gave one last thrust and buried himself inside of her, his hands pulling her hips tight up against him as he threw his head back and groaned, erupting in her depths. 

Ellie just about passed out from the intense pleasure, falling limply back on the bed as his weight came down on top of her, almost stopping her from breathing. Not that it mattered, she thought. She hadn't known such feelings existed and she couldn't seem to get her heart to slow down or her breathing to even out. She could still feel him inside her and she moved her hips slightly, feeling him tense and raise his head. 

"Don't move like that, darlin'," he murmured, taking a few deep breaths. 

She frowned in confusion. "Why not?" she asked him, surprised at the husky sound of her voice. 

"Because...unh..." he broke off as she helplessly did it again and his body responded in a way it shouldn't have been able to, at least not yet. 

She felt him start to grow inside her again and her eyes widened, fixing on his as he smiled lopsidedly. "That's why," he said, moving his own hips from side to side until he was fully hardened. "Do you hurt?" 

"Hurt?" she asked, trying not to move her hips again even though her body seemed to be taking over from her mind. 

"Here," he said, moving his hand to where they were joined and stroking her gently. "Are you ready to do that again?" He didn't know what he'd do if she said she was sore, he wasn't sure if he could stop himself. 

"I....I'm not...it doesn't hurt...oooohhh," she gasped as he immediately started moving on her, apparently having only waited long enough to make sure she could take it again before doing what he was desperate to do. She heard him laugh at her shocked reaction before the pleasure quickly became unbearable again and she spun off into another world. 

Mark could feel himself swelling as he pumped back and forth inside her, felt her own tremors begin and then he almost passed out as she came, her muscles clamping down on him so hard that he thought she would unman him. He buried himself as deep as he could get and exploded, his back forced into a tight arch as he pulsed again and again. Finally it was over and he collapsed on top of her, letting his shrinking flesh slip from within the snug warmth that had so recently cradled it. 

_***Thanks for the reviews so far. I have a feeling I start too many sentences with He or She, so please critique this if you wish!***_


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Becky White awoke to find herself in a strange room, in a strange bed and with a heavy weight across her stomach that wouldn't let her move. She looked around and slowly her brain started to work, her memories revealing to her where she was and with whom. She took in the fact that the heavy weight was in fact a huge arm and her eyes travelled slowly sideways until she could see the giant laying next to her. Well, she thought, laying next to her wasn't exactly accurate. He was curled around her, his arm holding her close and his face about two inches away from hers. After an initial moment of panic she relaxed and took the chance to study him. He had said his name was Glen, she remembered, and he had been incredibly kind to her although she had seen in his face that he wasn't used to company. 

He looked different when he was asleep, relaxed and innocent. She reached up a hand and carefully pushed his overlong hair out of his face, her fingers touching on the straight nose and firm jaw that was hidden slightly by a goatee and a five o'clock shadow. His jaw would have looked heavy on a much smaller man. But Glen was impressive with his size. The only thing marring his masculine beauty was the long, jagged scar that ran down the left hand side of his face from just below his eye to curve down and under his chin. It was deep too, but it was obviously old. Becky decided it didn't actually ruin his looks at all, he was still a very handsome man, at least to her eyes and she stroked slowly down the deep mark without thinking about her actions. She jumped back as his eyes shot open and she was fixed with a glare from the hazel depths. 

"What the hell are you doing?" he growled at her, disconcerted to wake up and find her touching what he felt was an unsightly disfigurement. 

"I just...I was...oh.." she stuttered, shocked by the anger he was showing and the fact she had been caught. "I'm sorry," she whispered, dropping her face down and scuttling back away from him as far as she could with his arm still wrapped firmly around her waist. 

Glen frowned at her guilty face. She was acting as if she'd been caught stealing. "What _were_ you doing?" he asked again, curious as to why she would touch him like that. 

Becky cleared her throat and glanced up at him, quickly dropping her gaze again at his intense stare. "Nothing." 

He couldn't help but smile at her mumbled response. "Nothing? Are you sure? It felt like something to me," he said, lifting her face up with one hand until she had to look at him. "I think you should explain yourself." 

Becky swallowed again. Well, they said honesty was the best policy, although she had found that to be untrue in the past, to her cost. "I was just touching your face....I didn't mean to wake you up or...make you angry," she said on a rush. 

"Why were you touching my face?" 

"I think you're handsome," she blurted out and then blushed to the roots of her hair when he stared at her in amazement. 

"That's why you were looking at me in that weird way last night?" he asked her, thinking back to the odd expression on her face the previous evening. 

"Yes," she admitted, looking down again and wishing she were anywhere but here and this embarrassing situation. "Sorry." 

"You don't need to be sorry about it, honey, but I do think you need an eye test," he said lightly, and her head shot up again at his tone. He sounded carefree, but behind it she could hear a slight bitterness and she could see it in his eyes. He almost looked hurt. 

"An eye test?" she asked, frowning as she looked at his face again. "Why?" 

Glen gave a short snort of laughter. "Oh, come on, don't tell me you really think I'm handsome. With this?" he pointed to the scar and shook his head. "I don't think so. Listen, you don't have to lie and flatter my ego just to get a hot meal, I'm well aware of what I look like." 

"I don't lie," Becky said, losing her embarrassment. "I don't flatter people, I wouldn't know how. I can't help it if I think you're handsome, because you are. It's a shame you have a scar, but it doesn't make you ugly." She shrugged and then looked down again because he was staring at her strangely. 

Glen stared at her with his mouth hanging open. He could see she was sincere, see it in her eyes, and he couldn't decide how he felt about it. She didn't think he was ugly and she didn't seem scared of him, although she was a little intimidated because she kept breaking eye contact with him. He realised he still had hold of her, his arm curved possessively around her waist, but for the life of him he couldn't bring himself to let go. 

The robe she had worn all night was starting to loosen a bit and he kept getting enticing glimpses of curved flesh, her cleavage just peeking out of the deep v of the loose neckline. He looked up to find her sending covert glances at him as well, and remembered that he was only wearing shorts, his body on display for her. 

Oh, wow, thought Becky, this guy is huge! He had looked big the night before, but with virtually no clothing on she could see just how big his muscular body was, how well defined. His arms were positively massive and she looked at the one he was using to hold onto her, getting an insane urge to stroke over the huge bicep. Her eyes dropped down the length of his torso and she blushed a deep crimson when she saw the growing bulge in his shorts, her eyes jerking away in case he caught her staring. She didn't know too much about a man's anatomy, but she knew enough. 

Glen chuckled when he saw her face colour, knowing that his body was giving away the fact that she aroused him and finding it amusing that she was so flustered by it. "Something wrong?" 

Becky kept her eyes averted, only briefly flicking them in his direction and only looking at his face. "Should...er...shouldn't you get dressed?" she asked him quietly, biting her lip. 

Glen raised one eyebrow and sprawled back on the bed, crossing one muscular leg over the other and raising one arm to prop behind his head. His other hand tightened on her waist and she found herself being dragged slowly toward him. 

"I'm pretty comfortable like this. Is there any reason I should get dressed?" 

Becky's hand shot out to steady herself when he successfully pulled her right over next to him, and her fingers landed on his stomach, the firm muscle tensing under her touch. 

"You...well...you're nearly naked and you're....you're..." she stammered, her eyes dropping briefly again to his shorts. 

"I'm what?" he asked, raising his eyebrow again and smiling at how red and flustered she was. He dropped his eyes to her mouth as she lay there against him, her mouth open as she tried to think of something to say. Before either of them realised what he was going to do, he bent his head and covered her lips with his, exerting a gentle pressure on them as he softly kissed her. 

Becky gave a small gasp at the shock of his kiss, then forgot whether or not she should protest the intimacy as the feel of his lips got to her. His mouth had looked so firm, and yet it felt so soft as he moved his lips over hers, his tongue licking slowly along her bottom lip until she opened her mouth a little wider. He took instant advantage and plunged his tongue inside her mouth, meeting up with her tongue and coaxing her into following his movements. He realised that she didn't seem to know what she was doing at first, but she copied what he did and soon got the hang of it, a small moan rumbling in her throat as the kiss went on and on. It was only when one of his huge hands delved inside the robe and covered her breast that her senses came back to her and she pushed at him, breaking the kiss and trying to move away, her eyes wide with shock. 

"I'm sorry," he muttered, letting her go all at once and looking guilty. "I had no right to touch you like that." He frowned when she said nothing, watching her pull the robe together with shaky hands. "I didn't hurt your back did I?" 

Becky looked surprised. She had totally forgotten about her back. "No...i...its fine." 

"Well, I better take a look. That bandage will need changing, and don't argue," he said when she opened her mouth to protest, "you can't manage it yourself." 

"Okay," she said, her voice husky. 

"Right, well, I guess you should lay on your front and...er...take the robe off," he said hesitantly. It had been one thing treating her wounds when she was unconscious, it was something else again doing it whilst she was awake and aware of his every move. He watched as she laid on her stomach, her hands fumbling underneath her to undo the belt and then try to shrug it off her back. 

"Ow," she said, hissing in a breath as she pulled her back into an awkward position as she was shrugging the robe off. "I can't take it off," she admitted and looked over her shoulder at him. 

"It's okay, I can do it. Just relax alright?" he said, drawing the thick robe off her back until he had exposed the bandages. 

He tried to be as careful as he could, but the bandage had stuck to some of the wounds and he ended up having to bathe it off and then bathe her skin clean too. It still looked bad, but it was starting to heal now he had tended to it properly. 

"Does it look awful?" Becky asked him, glancing back at him once more. 

"It's not too bad," he murmured, thinking she'd probably freak if she saw how bad it actually was. 

"I guess it doesn't matter, really," she said softly, laying her head back down. "My friend Ellie used to get beaten a lot, and her back was a real mess, covered with scars and all. Her stepmother really hated her. I was told that she'd been sold to some man the day I ran away, but I don't know how true it is. It might just be my stepmother playing mind games, I suppose, but I'm never going to go back long enough to find out anyway, and if it is true, then she's probably better off." 

"Who was the man?" Glen asked quietly, because he had a suspicion he knew. 

"No-one you'd know, I shouldn't think. His name is Calloway and he lives in that big old house on the mountain, the one everyone says is haunted?" She gave a deep sigh and a shudder. "I hope Ellie will be all right. I wish I could see her again."  
Glen kept quiet, not letting on that he did know Mark and that they were in fact friends. Maybe he'd take her there as a surprise, once he'd made sure it was okay with Mark. He frowned as he carefully cleaned the dried and crusted blood from her soft skin. So Mark had actually bought a bride? He had thought he was joking when he started talking about doing just that, but he was obviously deadly serious. He supposed he could understand his actions, especially after his disastrous marriage. Glen wondered if he would ever do something like that and decided he would, if his bride looked anything like Becky. His eyes refocussed on what he was doing. It was a shame that she would have scars on her beautiful skin, he thought. The rest of her had been pale and smooth, he remembered from last night, and the feel of her firm breast in his palm a short while ago would haunt him for many nights he was sure. Unless she would actually let him touch her again? The brief possibility made him smile. Then a plan started to form and he frowned. No, he couldn't do that. But she didn't want to go home, in fact she would probably do anything to avoid it. He swallowed the faint feelings of guilt his plan made him feel and decided he would carry it out, it couldn't hurt to try. 

Becky felt him hurriedly finish her dressings, and then he draped the robe over her back and sat on the side of the bed. "There, it's done. I'll need to change it again later on, but it's not too bad now." 

Becky studied him and wondered how long she'd be able to stay here with him. "Thank you," she said softly, giving him a small smile when he glanced her way. 

Glenn had only meant to look at her briefly to acknowledge her thanks, but he couldn't look away from her beautiful blue eyes, and her smile further captivated him. What the hell, he thought, might as well start this little plan in motion, see if it works! 

"I'm going to take you home today," he said and Becky felt what little colour she had in her face drain out of it in a rush. She struggled to slip her arms into the robe and pull it closed underneath her so she could sit and face him. 

"Please....I can't go back there, you don't know what it's like, what they'll do," she said, pleading with everything she had, her eyes huge as she wondered why he would do that to her, when he had seen what her stepmother was capable of. "Please, can't I stay here?" 

"And how would you pay your way? You can't work at the moment, and if you do get a job then your family would find out where you were," he pointed out, shaking his head. "The last thing I need is to have the police knocking at my door saying I've kidnapped you!" 

Becky tried to think logically, but she was panicking too much. "I could work eventually....I...!" 

Glenn hid a smile. This was already working out better than he had hoped, she was so desperate not to go home. He swallowed down the sudden guilt that assailed him, knowing it was wrong to use her this way to get what he wanted. But what he wanted was her, and he would do just about anything to get that. 

"You won't be working for some weeks, not a proper job anyway," he said, seeing the disappointment flood her face. 

"There has to something I can do," she said frantically, her mind already thinking ahead to what would happen to her if she went home. 

Glenn cocked his head to one side. "There is one thing," he murmured, watching her suddenly brighten. 

"What is it?" she asked eagerly. 

"You could work here, I'm not too good at cooking and cleaning, and there are other things you may be able to help me with, too," he said, shrugging. 

"But....you cooked that stew and it was really good," she said softly, remembering the night before. 

"Yeah, well that's all I can cook. So how about it?" he asked, staring at her with raised eyebrows. 

Becky chewed her lip and tried without success to read his face. "Okay, thank you." 

Glenn stood up. "Good," he said. "We'll go over what your job will entail later on and if you want to back out of it afterwards, then I'll take you home. But one thing Rebecca," he added, suddenly looking more serious than she had yet seen him, "If you agree to my terms, you can't ever leave." 

Becky stared at him without comprehension and watched as he left the room. What on earth did he mean? 


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

Ellie woke up slowly and stretched, wondering why her muscles hurt so much. Then her eyes shot open as she looked at her surroundings, finding herself laying on top of the bed naked, and Mark laying asleep next to her, sprawled on his back and equally naked. Her face heated as she looked at his nude body, remembering what he had done to her only a few hours ago and she found herself embarrassed at her own abandoned response. It was getting dark outside, and she sat up slowly, surprised by the fact that they had slept virtually the whole day away after that mornings lovemaking. She felt the heat on her face again as she thought about that, and her eyes lingered on his huge body for a few seconds. He had been surprisingly gentle, and she wondered why. 

Her stomach growled loudly as she sat there and the hunger pang that followed actually hurt, making her gasp. Careful not to wake the slumbering giant, she got up off the bed, wincing as she felt a new soreness, but she ignored it and found her night-gown and robe, slipping them on and tiptoeing across the room to the door. By luck it was unlocked and she gave another quick glance back, seeing him still deeply asleep, her posture relaxing slightly as she crept out of the room and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. She would get something to eat whilst he was asleep, she thought, and hopefully he'd never know. 

Her heart was thumping loudly as she went about disobeying his rules, knowing this sort of rebellion was unusual for her, but she was starving now and she desperately needed a drink too. When she got to the kitchen she opened the door and peeked around it, jumping when she saw Lizzy and Carl sitting at the big kitchen table drinking coffee. They looked up a she opened the door and Lizzy smiled when she saw her nervousness. "Come in, darlin', don't just stand out there," she said, gesturing for Ellie to enter the room and then pulling a chair out for her when she did so. "How would you like some supper?" 

Ellie heard her stomach rumble again. "Yes, I would like that, please...but..._he_ said..." 

"Oh I don't take no notice of what he says," Lizzy cut in, chuckling as she went about getting cold cuts out of the refrigerator, salad and bread quickly following onto the counter. 

"Yes, but what if he..." Ellie began again, twisting her hands nervously in her lap. 

"He?" Carl said, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. "He's your husband now, shouldn't you call him by his name?" 

"I wouldn't feel....he hasn't said I could," she said slowly, faltering over the words. She knew his name, but he had never actually introduced himself to her. It was a strange situation to be in. 

"Well of course you can!" Lizzy said, sounding slightly annoyed. "My God, that boy has changed over the years, I can tell you. I should have put him over my knee a few times when he was younger then maybe he'd be a better person now!" 

Ellie was amazed at the way this woman spoke about the man who she was now married to. She didn't seem even the slightest bit afraid of him. She smiled hesitantly when Lizzy put a huge sandwich in front of her, getting a big grin in return, and she relaxed enough to start eating. After the first mouthful her appetite took over and she ate it as if it was the last meal she would ever have. Lizzy and Carl watched her the whole time, exchanging amused glances when she finished it and sat back, not even one crumb left on her plate. 

"Better?" Lizzy asked her, smiling warmly. 

"Yes, thank you. I didn't know how long he'd make me wait until I could eat," she explained. 

"You can have another one if you like?" the older woman offered and Ellie looked over at the food that was still out. It was very tempting, especially if he still intended to stop her food. 

"I could probably eat one," she admitted and then jumped sharply when his voice came from behind her. 

"I bet you could, you're not going to however," he said, his voice deep and angry. "Who the hell gave you permission to leave the room?" 

"I...I didn't...you were asleep.." she stammered, her eyes getting huge as he towered over her chair and reached out a hand to grab her shoulder, pulling her out of her seat with one swift movement. He was dressed in jeans with a thick belt around his waist, but no shirt. 

"So you just thought you'd come down here and disregard what I said to you? And do you remember what I said about talking back to me?" he asked, his nostrils flaring, reminding her of a bull about to charge. 

"Well, yes...." 

"If I could take that food out of you that you've already eaten, I would," he hissed at her leaning down so his face was level with hers and holding her still when she would have backed away. "Now you'll pay for disobeying me. Get yourself back upstairs while I have a word with these two." He pushed her towards the door and folded his arms over his chest, watching through narrowed eyes as she scampered off. 

Ellie felt her breath hitch in her throat as she made her way quickly up the stairs, scared to death as she thought of what he was going to do. Everything had seemed to be better once she had told him her story, and then he had made love to her and treated her so gently. But obviously it was an illusion and she realised she had let her guard down far too soon. She stopped halfway up as panic started to get the better of her and she thought more clearly of what he could do to her. She could hear him bellowing in the kitchen, although the words he was using were indistinct, and she could also hear Lizzy saying something back. Her eyes went helplessly to the front door and she measured the distance between it and the stairs. She could make it out of here before he even came out of the kitchen, she thought, her heart beating her to death as she thought of escape. Where she would go didn't even enter into the equation and she acted before she could think about it any more, running lightly down the stairs and across the hall. 

Everything would probably have been fine if she hadn't caught her foot in the huge rug that covered the floor. She went flying with a startled gasp, groaning sharply as she hit the floor and the breath was knocked out of her lungs. The sound of the kitchen door crashing open sounded unnaturally loud in the echoing house, and she looked up through watering eyes as Mark came out of the room and started towards her, his brows drawn down over his green eyes. She briefly found herself trapped in that jade prison, but she shook herself out of it and rolled over onto her hands and knees, doing her best to get up as fast as she could and get away from him. Of course it was a hopeless attempt, as he was twice as big and immensely stronger than she was, and he caught her around the waist before she had taken more than three steps, his arm closing tightly around her and hauling her off the floor. She fought with him violently, thinking that whatever she did now it couldn't get any worse. 

Mark stared down at the woman he held and pursed his lips, wondering why he had thought her so docile. All she had done so far was fight him and so far he hadn't done anything to punish her for her behaviour, especially after he saw the scars on her back. But now he was just angry enough to disregard that, and her continued struggling made him more so. 

"Be still, woman," he growled, lifting her struggling body and throwing her over one huge shoulder where he had more control over her movements. He used one big arm to clamp her legs against his torso and then with the other he gave her a hard slap on her nicely rounded backside, smiling grimly when she gave a yelp and stopped struggling briefly. 

Ellie felt her lips start to tremble as he carried her back upstairs and she saw Lizzy shake her head sadly as she watched them go, eventually turning and going back into the kitchen and closing the door softly behind her. She didn't have much time to worry about what he was going to do as his long, muscular legs ate up the distance to the room in no time at all, and she soon found herself being put down on the edge of the bed. 

"Where the hell did you think you were going?" he barked at her as he stood facing her with his bulging arms crossed over his broad chest. She tried to answer and found her mouth too dry, so she just stared at the floor, not knowing what to do. He grabbed her chin and raised her face so he could look at her, squeezing until she raised her eyes. "You are now my property, do you understand that? You belong in this house, and nowhere else!" 

She started shaking at his words, her life mapped out bleakly before her once again. A possession, nothing more. She stared at him blankly and waited for his punishment, whatever that may be. 

"Nothing to say?" he growled, seemingly furious at her silence. "You are never going to run from here again, and I'll teach you what happens when you even try!" Ellie shrank back from him as he reached for her, but there was nowhere she could go and he pulled her across his lap as he sat down, his huge hands ripping her night-gown and robe to shreds as he bared her to his eyes. 

As soon as she was naked he lifted his hand and brought it down on her smooth derriere, the slap cracking on the soft pale skin and making it turn instantly red, but he didn't stop or slow down. His hand lifted again and again and Ellie found herself crying helplessly, humiliated at the spanking and unable to believe how painful it was, when she was used to so much worse. But he had big hands and he was using enough force to make her body shudder with each downward strike. She lost count of the blows eventually and just hung there sobbing, her hands clutching his leg unconsciously as she tried to get through the pain. 

Mark looked down at the twin globes of flesh he was paddling and finally stopped, resting his hand over them and feeling the heat pouring from her skin. Well, she wouldn't be doing that anytime soon, he thought, then shrugged off the faint feeling of guilt that was creeping up on him again. He had no time for that emotion. Her soft sobs were getting to him, though, and he had to harden his heart against them. He pulled her up and laid her on the bed, standing up and unbuckling his belt. 

Ellie's eyes became huge as she saw what he was doing and she rolled away from him, trying to get off the other side of the bed. She wouldn't survive a beating from a belt, she just knew it, and she wanted desperately to get away. But his big hand shot out and grabbed her ankle, dragging her back across the bed and holding her there, while his other hand undid his jeans and slid them down his long legs. She was confused when he dropped the belt on the floor, but as his clothes slid off his body her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. He was fully aroused and by the way he was looking at her, he had every intention of using it. 

She didn't get a chance to say anything as he came down on top of her and covered her mouth with his, the kiss so deep and unyielding that she could barely respond to it, and it scared her more than a beating would have. He was showing absolutely no tenderness and she tasted blood as the kiss became brutal. 

It was worse somehow, she realised, to know what his lovemaking could be like, and then to get this instead. She lay there like a statue as he touched her and caressed her, every move meant for his own pleasure. When one of his legs pushed hers open she didn't protest, knowing she couldn't stop him and that what she thought meant absolutely nothing to him. Tears filled her eyes again and trickled slowly down into the pillow, but she made not one noise as he enjoyed her body. 

Mark noticed her lack of response and wasn't surprised by it, his actions so rough that even a practised streetwalker would have had trouble pretending to enjoy it, and it was that thought that made him slow down and start really making love to her. He drew a response from her unwilling body with ease, his lips running over her breasts and stomach to nip and suck on every inch of her skin, until she was writhing underneath him. By the time he slid two fingers inside her she was already wet and ready for him, but still she tensed and he looked at her sharply, his anger resurfacing. This had been a favourite trick of his ex-wife, leading him on and then stopping him when he was desperate for her. Well, this wife wouldn't be doing the same thing, he thought. He raised himself up and used one hand to guide his hot, hard flesh, probing once before he thrust forward and plunged inside her. 

Ellie gave a soundless cry and arched her back as she felt him enter her, her flesh so sore from their previous lovemaking that it hurt unbearably when he filled her. He didn't stop, didn't even register her reaction, the tightness of her passage spurred him on and he drove furiously towards his own release. It only took a few minutes, but it felt like forever for the girl who lay underneath him, her most private areas feeling bruised and battered, torn from the rough handling. When he finally went still above her and groaned, she almost wept with relief, knowing it would soon be over and she could retreat inside her mind, a trick she had learned some years ago. 

Mark shuddered above her as he poured his seed inside her body. He let out a deep breath as he pulled out of her and threw himself onto the bed, his eyes closing as he calmed down. He was aware of Ellie slowly moving next to him, but he didn't bother looking. 

She slowly closed her legs and winced as her thighs met, wondering briefly if she was bleeding. But she couldn't go in the bathroom without alerting him, and she didn't want any more attentions from him, so she rolled onto her side and curled up in a ball, feeling the pain receding with each passing second. The thought briefly crossed her mind that she wouldn't be able to survive this, that she would die at his hands and no-one would ever know. 


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Becky White sat in the middle of the big bed and stared at the closed door. What had Glenn meant when he said she couldn't ever leave? Why couldn't she? She gave a snort of laughter. Why would she want to? It wasn't as if she would ever go back home. Home. A word that was supposed to instil a sense of well-being in a person, not terror and hatred. She wondered if she would ever know a home like that and her eyes looked around the room she was in. She could make a home here, she thought. Her eyes went to the door again and she sighed. No point in putting it off, not if she wanted to know what he was talking about. 

She moved off the bed as fast as her back would let her and opened the door, moving into the main living area and seeing Glenn busying himself in the kitchen. It wasn't a huge cabin by any means, but it wasn't tiny either and it seemed to fit the big man working so comfortably at the stove. 

He turned when he heard her behind him and watched as she walked slowly over to where he was working, her eyes taking in the food he was preparing. "Can I help?" 

"Sure," he murmured, feeling a bit odd with her standing there next to him, especially after what he had just said. He wasn't sure, even now, if he could actually say the things to her that he had planned. "Here, chop this," he said, thrusting a red pepper under her nose and sliding a knife along the counter. 

Becky looked at him whisking eggs up and frowned. "I thought you said you couldn't cook?" 

Glenn froze briefly. Damn, he thought. "Er...yeah, not very well. I get by," he said, relief flooding him as he thought of something to say. In reality he could cook quite well, but he couldn't let her know that or it would foul things up. 

"Oh," she said, twisting her lips thoughtfully. He had said he could only cook stew, but here he was making what appeared to be an omelette. She gave a mental shrug. Most people could make things with eggs. "Are you making an omelette?"  
"Yeah a Spanish omelette," Glenn replied without thinking, and then could have kicked himself. "I...er...I saw how to make one once, so I thought I'd try it."  
Becky looked up at him openly now, studying his face and certain that he was lying. There was only one reason she could think of for that. "You can cook can't you? Really? Glenn...are you just making up a job so I don't have to go back?" she asked shyly, looking up at the huge man. 

He thought of what he had planned and tried not to look uncomfortable, giving a shrug of his big shoulders and not saying anything. 

"You're a really nice man," she murmured, her eyes going over his face again and a tingle running up her spine at his looks. 

Glenn slammed the knife down on the counter as guilt overrode his speechlessness. "I'm not nice!" he growled, glaring down at her from underneath his lowered brows, and she jumped, dropping her own knife with a clatter. 

"I...I'm sorry..." she whispered, wondering what she had said. 

"Do you want to know what sort of job I was really offering you?" he asked, the self contempt in his voice coming across to her as anger and she backed away a couple of steps as he advanced. "Sure, I wanted you to cook and clean, why wouldn't I? But what I really wanted was you in my bed!" 

"Wh...what?" she gasped, backing up more the further he came towards her. 

"You heard me. I wanted you in my bed, warm and willing and being paid for your services!" he barked out at her and she felt the blood start to drain from her face as he continued towards her, making her step backwards faster as she tried to move away from him. Her hands came up and she held them in front of her, trying to stop his progress. 

"I don't...I don't underst-stand..." she stammered, her eyes getting bigger. 

"Of course you don't, you think I'm _nice_," he growled, closing the distance between them and pinning her against the wall, his hands resting on either side of her head although he didn't touch her in any other way. 

Becky tried to swallow, but her dry mouth wouldn't let her and she glanced up at him, scared of the way he was looking at her and of what he had said. She closed her eyes to block him out and waited to see what he would do. 

**** 

Mark frowned in his sleep as a noise disturbed him, and he rolled over onto his stomach, rubbing his forehead on the mattress and yawning. The noise came again and his eyes opened, the frown intensifying when he looked across the bed and saw that Ellie wasn't there. He sat up abruptly and listened, hearing the faint noise again. Getting off the bed, he slipped on his robe and made his way into the bathroom, turning on the light when he entered the room and could hear her whimpering in there somewhere. He froze when he saw her curled up against the toilet, a blanket over her shoulders, her head resting on the seat and her hands clutching her abdomen as she made small distressed noises. 

"Ellie?" he said softly, crouching down next to her and reaching out to touch her arm. 

She jumped briefly at the contact and the noises became louder as she started sobbing. He had to strain his hearing to make out what she was saying, and when he did he winced. "Please don't...please don't..." she sobbed quietly over and over again. 

He looked at her helplessly, seeing that she had been sick. His words earlier came back to haunt him, when he had told her if he could take the food out of her she had already eaten then he would. Not knowing what else to do, he lifted her small body up in his arms and carried her back into the bedroom, laying her down on the bed and smoothing her hair back from her face. The act of tenderness felt alien for a moment. "Ellie, tell me what's wrong." 

Ellie felt so sick she could barely answer him, and she felt a hysterical giggle work it's way up her throat. He didn't know what was wrong? He had done it, how could he not know? She couldn't even tell him, because then he'd likely get angry again and she couldn't take anymore pain, she'd rather leap off the roof. She started crying harder as her situation got to her and Mark stood up, staring at her for a few minutes in confusion before rushing away to get Lizzy. She would know what to do, he thought. 

He came back with her a few minutes later, the older woman looking disgruntled as he had obviously woken her up, but her face changed to one of concern when she saw Ellie. "Oh my dear, what's wrong?" 

Ellie lifted wet eyes to the woman and briefly flicked them to Mark, shaking her head. Lizzy immediately turned to Mark. "Why don't you go downstairs and make some coffee?" 

"I don't want to make coffee," he said, looking impatient. 

"Why? Don't you remember how to do it?" Lizzy shot back, raising her eyebrows imperiously as though she were the boss and not he. 

"Of course I remember, old woman, but it isn't my job," he replied. 

"Maybe not, but you ain't staying in here, boy, not while I'm checking this young girl over. Now get," she said, waiting until he gave in and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Lizzy turned back to Ellie and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Now you tell me what's wrong sweetheart, and I'll make it all better. Come on, he's not here now." 

"I hurt," Ellie sobbed, indicating where with her hands. "He hurt me." 

Lizzy frowned and shook her head, muttering as she walked into the bathroom and started running a bath. When she came back she sat down on the bed. "I'm gonna have to take a look darlin', see how bad it is. Okay?" 

Ellie was embarrassed beyond belief but Lizzy made her lay back whilst she examined her gently, making tsking noises. "It's not too bad darlin', but you're going to be sore for a few days." She sat down and pulled Ellie into her arms so she could comfort her. "First times can be pretty bad, and I know he isn't a patient man, but it will get better. Did he take you more than once?" Ellie nodded and felt her face bloom with heat. "That's what I thought. Well, he'll have to learn to wait, because you won't be doing anything like that for a while now!" She pulled back from Ellie and helped her off the bed, drawing her into the bathroom where the bath had nearly finished filling. She efficiently stripped her and made her get into the water, adding some powder and swishing it about. "There, that should help some. You relax there for a minute and I'll get some balm. We'll have you better in no time!" 

Ellie relaxed her head against the back of the tub and closed her eyes, feeling the pain in her body start to ease in the warm water. Her stomach still felt unsettled, but she felt better being alone. 

Lizzy went straight down to the kitchen and walked up behind Mark, slapping the back of his head and glaring at him when he swung around. "What the hell was that for?" he bellowed, raising one hand and rubbing his head. 

"That's for giving that poor girl more pain!" Lizzy snapped, going to the large cupboard that held medication and searching through it until she found a tube of cream that would be useful in this situation. Mark looked down and saw what she was holding and frowned. 

"What are you doing with that?" 

"Helping her heal after the way you've treated her, that's what! Are you totally insensitive?" 

He frowned in confusion this time. "Heal? What's wrong with her? And what do you mean by insensitive?" 

"Exactly what I say, but I guess I'll have to spell it out. She was a virgin, correct? It hurt her, correct?" Lizzy waited while he went slightly red and then nodded. "Didn't it occur to you that you shouldn't have taken her more than once tonight?" 

His eyebrows raised up. "Oh," he murmured, understanding at last. "Is she...I was a bit, er..." he cleared his throat and turned his back on the older woman, busying himself making coffee. "Is she okay?" 

"She will be," Lizzy murmured, looking pleased that he had shown some emotion other than anger, even if it was just embarrassment. "But Mark, you can't touch her for a while, do you understand? She was sick because it hurt her so badly, and she needs a few days rest." 

"I haven't ever heard of such a thing," he muttered, feeling guilty and not liking it one bit. 

"Well of course you haven't, you're a man. And usually you're an angry man, at that. That can't have helped her, the poor thing. I'll go and see to her," she said, shaking her head as she turned away. 

"No," Mark said, stopping her in her tracks. "I'll take care of her. She's my wife." He held his hand out for the balm and Lizzy handed it to him with a smile, thinking that maybe there was hope for him after all. 

Mark put together a tray with two full coffee cups and sugar and cream, and put the small tube next to it all, carrying it up the stairs and into his room. He put it down on a bedside table and then picked the tube up, reading the instructions, such as they were, and making his way into the bathroom. 

He looked down at her in the tub, her eyes closed and her lashes making a dark fan against her pale cheeks, and he felt guilty all over again. She looked so small laying in the tub and now he knew he had hurt her. His brows drew down as he realised that must have been the reason she had tensed up before, she hadn't been playing some game, she wouldn't even know how. He watched as her eyes flickered open when he cleared his throat again and then they widened, her hands trying to cover herself up under the water. 

"It's okay," he said quietly, crouching down next to the tub and looking only at her eyes. "I won't hurt you again, I promise. I didn't know that I had, I thought..." he broke off and shook his head. "Come on, get out and I can use this cream," he said, grabbing a huge towel and holding it up for her. 

Ellie swallowed down her embarrassment and slowly got up, feeling a fairly intense soreness still, but trying to ignore it. At least it wasn't so bad now that it was cramping her stomach, she thought. She reached for the towel and he automatically wrapped it around her body, lifting her slight weight in his arms and carrying her through to the bedroom where he could lay her down on the bed. When he started drying her off, she tried to protest, but he stopped her with one look and she relaxed, letting him do it. He reached for the cream once he was satisfied she was dry enough and started parting her legs, and she panicked, trying to get away from him. "No, Ellie, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to do that again now, okay? I want to make you better," he said, feeling acutely uncomfortable himself. 

She stopped moving and stared at him. "I can put it on," she whispered, still keeping her legs tightly closed. But Mark shook his head. 

"No, I caused the damage, I'll make it better. Just relax," he said soothingly, his voice deep and smooth. He felt her relax a tiny bit and prised her legs open again, moving in to see how bad it was himself. Her delicate flesh was so red that he winced, but there was no blood, thank God, her thought. She had small bruises on her thighs where he had gripped her flesh too tightly as well, each tiny bruise imbedding itself into his mind so he wouldn't forget what he had done, even if he hadn't done it on purpose. He opened the small tube and squeezed some of the cream onto his fingers, applying it as carefully as he could and making sure she was covered in it, inserting the tip of one finger gently inside her to make sure he got to every sore spot. She moved slightly with discomfort, but otherwise remained quiet, giving a sigh when he finished and went to the chest of drawers to get her one of his large shirts to wear. She allowed him to dress her in it and then he sat her up on one side of the bed, tucking the covers around her waist and then getting one of the coffee cups and handing it to her. "Drink this, it will probably settle your stomach a little," he said, staring at her as she took it and sipped slowly. Her eyes lifted to his and then darted quickly away when she found his eyes still fixed firmly on her face. It was obvious she didn't trust him, and he didn't blame her, he had given her no reason to yet. The awful feeling of remorse settled over him and he abruptly stood up, startling her. "Get some sleep, I'll make sure Lizzy brings you some breakfast," he muttered, gesturing impotently with one hand and then walking out of the room and leaving her on her own. Ellie couldn't work out why he had gone, or why he had just been nice to her again after the way he had acted earlier. But she couldn't worry about it now, she decided, otherwise she would never get any sleep. And she needed all the rest she could get to be able to cope with him again. 


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

The next morning Lizzy came downstairs to start breakfast and found Mark sitting at the kitchen table, staring blindly into a cup of black coffee. "I gather from the fact that you're up and about so early, there's no point in me saying good morning?" she asked him, looking at the dregs of coffee in the jug and starting a new load, rinsing the jug out. "How is she this morning?" 

Mark frowned. "She?" he asked, trying not to feel guilty again. 

"Don't be deliberately obtuse, boy," Lizzy said, smiling as she had her back turned to him and he couldn't see. "How is your wife?" 

"She was doing better last night," he said quietly, shrugging and averting his eyes when she turned to look at him. 

Lizzy looked at him affectionately. She had never been able to have children of her own, and she considered this great hulking man to be her son. Right now he looked just like he had as a little boy, and she found herself feeling sorry for him. "You didn't stay with her last night?" 

"I should think that would be the last thing she'd want," he replied, his shoulder rising and falling when he took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to hurt her." 

Lizzy raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure? I thought that was the reason you brought her here, to make her life a living hell so that you'd feel better about yourself? Well, do you feel better now?" 

Mark's eyes snapped up to the old woman's and he scowled. "No, I don't feel better!" 

"Really? Then that's good, because it means you haven't become the inhuman monster that people believe you to be," she said gently, nodding her head when he looked briefly confused. She got the coffee perking and started getting things ready for breakfast. "Am I allowed to feed her this morning or is she still being punished for something?" 

"Of course you can feed her!" Mark snapped and stood up from the table, rubbing a hand around the back of his neck uncomfortably as Lizzy stared at him. 

"That's a start," she muttered under her breath, but Mark heard her. 

"I don't have to be nice to her, you know," he snapped. 

"No, certainly you don't, not if you don't want to. But I wish you'd make your mind up how you do want to treat her, it isn't fair on her," she said, folding her arms and giving his glare back. 

"I don't care how fair it is!" he said, shouting now as his own conscience got to him. 

"Yes you do, or you wouldn't be moping about down here this early. Just try and be consistent, okay? If you want to be an animal towards her, then remain that way. But if you decide to get your head out of your ass and be nice to the poor thing, then remain nice. At least that way she won't go insane wondering what to expect!" Lizzy said, frowning disapprovingly at him and then turning her back, continuing with her task. 

"I don't have to be nice," he mumbled again, sinking back down in his chair and trying to sort his feelings out. 

"No, why should you be, this is your house after all, you make the rules," Lizzy muttered, shaking her head as she put bacon in the pan and started it frying. "Why worry about a poor young girl who did nothing in her life to deserve any of this sort of treatment?" 

Mark listened to her mutterings and thought seriously about what he should do. He knew what his conscience was telling him to do, but he had steadfastly ignored it for years. Now it seemed more important to take notice. He looked up as Carl walked into the room and gave him a disapproving look to match Lizzy's, not even bothering to say good morning to him, and he knew he was in the doghouse. His brows drew down swiftly and he stomped out of the room, heading for his bedroom. Fine, if everyone thought he should be nice to her, then he would start right now, he thought as his temper started to ignite again. 

Ellie was sleeping soundly when Mark threw open the door and marched into the room, and she only started to wake up when he scooped her up in his big arms, blanket and all. Her hands automatically went to his shoulders to hang on and she stared up at him, her mouth hanging open as he carried her out of the room and straight downstairs to the kitchen, depositing her in a chair before she could even think of something to say. 

"Good morning," Lizzy said to her, smiling as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to be sitting there still wrapped in her bedclothes. 

"G..good morning," Ellie said, looking up briefly when Mark sat down near her, his eyes boring into her. 

"Breakfast is nearly ready. How would you like some coffee?" Lizzy asked. 

"Er....I..." she stammered and looked up at Mark again, wondering if he was going to let her eat. 

He saw the uncertainty in her face and felt suitably ashamed of his previous behaviour. He thinned his lips as the emotion made him irritable. "Yes, she'll take some coffee," he said, looking and sounding impatient. 

Ellie didn't know whether to say thank you or not so she remained silent, only thanking Lizzy when she placed the cup in front of her. "How's that stomach this morning?" the older woman asked, starting to serve the cooked breakfast onto plates. 

"It's better," Ellie mumbled, acutely aware that Mark was staring at her still. 

"Good, then you'll be able to eat this food with no problem," Lizzy said, placing a huge breakfast in front of her. 

Ellie hesitated still and swallowed, forcing herself to face him. "Is it okay?" 

Mark almost flinched at her soft voice asking permission to eat, and he nodded curtly, diverting his attention to his own breakfast so he didn't have to look at her face that still bore the bruise from where he had slapped her. He was starting to hate himself. 

**** 

Glenn frowned down at Becky, angered by the fact that she was making him out to be something he wasn't. He was not nice, he hadn't been for a long time. But she thought she could see something in him that wasn't there. His fist shot out and hit the wall making her jump, her eyes snapping open to stare up at him. The fear that clearly shone from them made him go still and then start to calm down and think rationally. Okay, so she could see something in him, something that he thought was long dead, didn't that mean that maybe he really could be different? He frowned as he thought of it. He had enjoyed taking care of her the night before, true, but the fact still remained that he wanted her, and he didn't think he could get her any other way. 

Becky stared up at him with her heart in her throat, wondering why he had said those things and why he was so angry. As far as she knew she hadn't done anything wrong, unless it was just because she had disturbed his peace. He was a loner, he wouldn't appreciate that. She swallowed and tried to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth so she could speak. "I'm sorry if I..er...made you uncomfortable....with my being here. I'll leave," she offered, not wanting to go, but now not wanting to stay either, not if he expected her to leap into bed with him in gratitude. She tried ducking underneath one of his huge arms but he moved them so she couldn't get away and she felt her mouth dry out again, her blue eyes widening as his hands left the wall and grabbed her shoulders. 

"No!" he barked out, startling both of them. "You're in no condition to go anywhere..." he tailed off and thinned his lips as she tried pulling away from him. "Keep still!" he said impatiently, giving her a small shake. 

Becky stared at him and started to feel angry. Okay, he had been nice, but now he just wanted to get her in bed. "I will not.....you let me go!" she said, pulling harder and then kicking his legs. 

Glenn stared down at her in amazement as she tried to fight him. Her kicks were hurting her more than they were him as she was barefoot, and he wondered if she actually believed she could win against him. His mouth curved into a rare smile as her face became red with anger and he picked her up, pinning her against him with his huge arms wrapped around her, making sure she couldn't attack him with her arms. Her legs were still flailing about, but not with much energy as it was too painful for her to move too quickly. 

"Put me down!" she shouted at him, completely losing her temper now and not even thinking of what the consequences for her actions may be. 

Glenn found his smile getting wider as she became angrier, and when she opened her mouth to shout again he swooped in, covering her mouth with his and kissing her. The feel of her startled lips under his made him redouble his efforts and he went to work on her, using his tongue to touch every millimetre of her mouth and then tangle with hers, drawing her into the kiss. He barely noticed when she fell limp against him, he was enjoying himself so much, but when he finally drew back to look at her he found her eyes closed and her mouth still open, her lips slightly swollen. Interesting, he thought, how quickly she gave in when she had been so angry before, and he revised his plan. 

"Well?" he asked her, surprised that his voice sounded deeper than normal. 

Becky's eyes snapped open and she stared at him dumbly. "Huh?" 

"Do you accept my offer?" he continued, raising one eyebrow. 

She frowned at him as she tried to get her brain to work. What offer? She couldn't remember any offer...they were arguing and... "Put me down!" she squeaked as her muddled brain finally remembered what he was going on about. 

"Still that same old protest? No, I won't put you down," he told her, smiling mockingly at her. "Answer my question, do you accept my offer?"  
"You haven't made any offer, you...you...." she tried desperately to think of some insult to throw at him but she couldn't. 

"You stay here and you cook and clean for me, then you'll never have to go back there again," he said. 

Becky stared at him suspiciously. "But you said...you said I'd have to....that you wanted me to...." 

"Warm my bed. Yes I did, and yes, that's part of the deal. Do you accept?" he asked her, raising that eyebrow again. 

"No!" she said in a shocked voice, unable to believe the nice man of the night before had turned into this person. She only had a chance to gasp that one word out before he closed the distance and kissed her again, being more thorough than before. She felt herself melt against him without a single protest and her mind tried to fight off the inertia his kiss caused so she could argue with him, but it didn't work. 

"Accept my offer," he growled at her as he broke the kiss this time, his forehead resting against hers, his eyes watching her slowly try to regain her senses. 

"I...no...I can't do that...." she protested, trying to think of why she couldn't when it felt this good, but his mouth came down again, his tongue stopping any further protest. He kissed her for what felt like five minutes before drawing slowly back, and her lungs tried to feed themselves precious air, her body feeling swollen and slightly out of control. 

"Accept," he whispered against her lips, not letting her answer him as he started kissing her yet again. 

"I....I..." she stuttered, her eyes dropping to his mouth and trying to remember what it was that was so important. Being kissed was pretty important, she thought, as he did it again. By the time he stopped she was clutching his shoulders, her head dropping down into the crook of his neck as she panted shakily against his skin. 

"Accept me Rebecca," he said softly, and his eyes closed, his brows drawing down as if in pain now that she could no longer see him. If only she knew how important it would be to him for a woman to accept him, just as he was, in this cabin, without the riches that he was known for in his main home. He knew his offer was unreasonable, knew that she would never willingly stay with him. Who would? he thought with a grimace, but she liked his kisses and he was using that to his advantage. It wasn't taking very much to reduce her to a nervous wreck. 

"I...okay..." she mumbled against his neck and he tensed, his arms tightening around her for just a second before he realised what he was doing. 

"Good....good," he said, amazed that it had worked, that she'd agreed to his terms. Now all he had to do was get her to stay. 

The sizzle of the onions overcooking behind him made him remember what it was he had been doing before he lost his patience, and he slowly lowered Becky to the floor, holding onto her for a second when it looked like her legs weren't working. "Sit down," he said gruffly, pulling her towards the settee and sitting her on it. "I'll get the food done and later we can talk." 

Becky sat dumbly staring at him as he walked back into the kitchen and she wondered what had just happened. She couldn't believe that she had been so weak, and only a few minutes had passed. Her eyes sought out Glenn's bulky figure again and she chewed on her lip. Maybe she should just make a run for it, open the door and go, before he could stop her. She had thought he was nice, he had seemed nice and he had been good to her, but she didn't really know him at all. It felt like she'd made a deal with the devil. What on earth had she just agreed to? 

_****Sorry if I keep putting the heroines name from my other story in this one! I try and do find and replace, but sometimes I miss it. Hope it doesn't get confusing!****_


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

Later that day Becky sat at the kitchen table facing Glenn, whilst he told her what her new 'job' would entail. It was hard to stop her jaw from hitting the table. 

Apparently she was to cook whatever he happened to bring in from the traps, after skinning it and gutting it, and she was to clean up the place. Wash his clothes, pick up after him. She didn't have too much problem with that, although skinning the animals and gutting them made her feel a bit queasy, she was sure she wouldn't be able to do it. No, apart from that there didn't seem to be a problem. Then he told her she would be expected to chop wood for the fire, collect kindling and, if he was too busy, then she would have to reset the traps. The snow would need digging away from the cabin as it got deeper into winter, and this too would become one of her duties. She wondered briefly if he would be doing anything at all, but she didn't make a sound of protest. Some of the things she knew she wouldn't be able to handle. She had never chopped wood in her life and she wasn't exactly big and strong. Still, she would do everything she had to do, within reason, to stay away from her home. 

She waited patiently and with not a small amount of trepidation for him to outline her duties in the bedroom, still not able to believe she had agreed to any of this. 

Glenn stopped talking and looked her in the eyes for the first time since he had started, looking for signs of rebellion, but all he saw there was a faint look of panic. Now all he had to do was say what he expected of her in bed, and it would be done. It was harder than he'd thought it would be, especially with those huge blue eyes looking at him like that. Nevertheless, this was what he wanted. "The other...duties," he began hesitantly, forcing himself to stare her right in the eyes and not back down, "are simple enough. You're to be in my bed when I want you, whenever I want you." He waited for her to say something, but she remained silent, just staring at him. "With no arguments," he added, waiting to see if she would say anything to that. Still nothing. He narrowed his eyes. "And you're to do anything I tell you to do in that room," he went on, seeing her swallow. "Anything at all, whether it be with your hands, or your mouth, or both." He cocked his head to one side and studied her as her face went red. But still she didn't say a word. "And I'll take you in any way I see fit." 

Becky couldn't help it, her mouth fell open and she stared at him aghast. Surely he wasn't serious? she thought, then the unwelcome realisation hit her that he was dead serious, that he expected to pay her like a whore, so she should behave like one. She couldn't do that, she decided, but she didn't know how to get out of this situation without him taking her home. He obviously wasn't going to just let her leave. She wracked her brain for ideas and then swallowed down her nerves. "Okay," she said quietly, surprising him. "When do you want to...start?" 

Glenn stared at her in astonishment again. "Well, not yet, you're not in any condition...what with your back," he said, trying not to let his shock show on his face. 

"My back's fine, I'm fine. I want to start now," she said, looking down at her hands. "Shall I wait in the bedroom?" 

He found himself just staring at her now, his expression similar to the one she so recently wore. Then he gave a mental shrug. If she was ready for this, then who was he to argue? His body was already starting to stir at the thought of her in his bed. "If you're sure you're okay, then yes," he said and stood up, holding out his hand to her. 

Becky jumped when his arm shot out and she looked warily at his hand. Damn, this wasn't what she had planned. She cleared her throat. "No...I...can I get ready first? On my own? I want to look nice," she said, indicating the robe she was still wearing. 

"Oh, yeah, of course," Glenn mumbled and she gave him a small smile, hiding how pleased she was as she went into the bedroom and closed the door. 

As soon as she knew he couldn't see her anymore she looked around the room, her eyes lighting on the window and rushing over to it. It wasn't locked, she thought deliriously as she pulled it open as quietly as she could. She gazed out and looked around, seeing nothing but trees and snow. This was her chance and she had to take it. Clothes would be a problem, she thought, but after looking through Glenn's stuff she managed to steal a pair of jeans and a huge shirt, using a belt to tighten the jeans around her waist. The legs took forever to roll up and she started to get a bit panicky that he may come in the room before she had escaped. Finally she was done, but she had no shoes, and there was no way she could wear his. She opened another drawer and rummaged through, coming up with several pairs of socks. They would do, they had to. After she had pulled them on and rolled them up over the cuffs of the jeans, she looked down at herself. Well, she wouldn't win any beauty contests, but who would be looking? Ignoring the pain her back was giving her from all the exertion, she climbed up onto the dressing table and squeezed herself out onto the window ledge, dangling her feet over the side and giving one last look back into the room. When she saw the door handle start to turn she panicked, giving an audible gasp and then pushing herself off from her perch to fall to the ground below. Unfortunately she hadn't known how much higher this side of the cabin was off the ground, and the deep snow hid the fact from her, so she landed in snow that was up to her waist. The coldness of it knocked the breath out of her and she risked a look up, seeing Glenn's head poke out of the window and look incredulously down at her. 

"What the hell are you doing?" he bellowed and she jumped, his voice making her start moving. She pushed through the heavy drift and began the heavy work of getting away. How she had ever thought that snow was light and powdery, she didn't know. Because this was thick and heavy and incredibly cold, and she was making barely any progress at all. Thankfully, the drift started to level out a bit and she was able to speed up, the snow only eighteen inches deep here. 

Glenn had watched her move away from the cabin and then cursed, looking at the window and knowing his big body wouldn't fit through the aperture. He rushed out into the main living area and tugged his boots on, adding his coat as an afterthought. She might be acting crazy, but he certainly wasn't. He flung the door open and started after her, smiling grimly when he saw she was still visible, her small body a pathetic sight trying to battle through the whiteness. Glenn was far bigger and much stronger, and he started gaining on her easily, a fact she became aware of when she looked back. 

She tried moving faster but her feet had become numb in an alarmingly short space of time and she felt her progress slowing instead of speeding up, and her panic increased even as her strength started to disappear. Nothing could save her from Glenn when he could move so much quicker than her, and she felt his hands close around her waist and lift her up before she could take another step. She felt so tired and miserable at her failed escape that she couldn't even bring herself to fight him, and she hung there limply as he swung her up in his arms and carried her back towards the cabin. 

Glenn looked down at her pale face and miserable eyes, and he found himself feeling sorry for her and guilty for his own behaviour. "Where did you think you were going?" he asked her. 

Becky looked up at him briefly and then looked down again, shrugging. Now what was he going to do? As far as he was concerned she had agreed to his deal, and she wondered how she would be able to back out of it. 

"Nothing to say?" he asked her, his voice a growl as he thought about her escape attempt. 

"Sorry," she mumbled then burst into tears, howling into his shoulder as he carried her through the front door. She hated her own reaction, knowing that if she felt stronger she would be fighting him like mad. 

Glenn stood looking helplessly down at the young girl in his arms and had to swallow down the emotion that suddenly clogged his throat. Okay, so, he wanted her. But all she had done was think he was nice, and now he had proved to her he wasn't and made her cry. He felt like shit. His lips thinned and he sat her down on the couch, standing staring down at her with his hands on his hips. "You realise there are traps out there? You didn't even have the sense to put shoes on, for God's sake!" 

Becky sniffed and glared up at him through watery eyes. "I don't want to stay here." 

"You agreed to my terms, if you didn't want to there was no-one making you!" Glenn said irritably, his own guilty feelings assailing him. 

"Yes there was!" she argued, sitting up straighter and intensifying her glare. "You said you'd take me home if I didn't agree. I don't want to go back there!" 

"Well where the hell do you plan to go then? Because you don't want to stay here either!" he bellowed at her, shocking himself because he rarely shouted at anyone these days. 

"I don't care where I go, as long as it's nowhere near you!" she cried, jumping up from the couch and almost running for the door again. 

Glenn stared at her aghast, then reached out and grabbed the back of her top, pulling her roughly away from the door. Unfortunately he used just a little too much force and she gave a gasp of pain when his hand made contact with her back, his fingertips running hard across the cuts there. She tried to get away from his hands but only managed to make herself fall backwards, and she ended up laying on the floor, all the breath knocked out of her. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut as her back hit the floor and she felt tears of pain run from her eyes. Had she been able to breathe properly she knew she would have screamed, it hurt so bad. 

"Oh shit," Glenn mumbled, crouching down and picking her up instantly, his face contrite. He hadn't meant to hurt her, only to stop her from leaving. Great idea, he thought sarcastically, almost as great as your little plan to get her in bed. All he had managed to do was hurt her and he hadn't intended to do that at all. He had to find a way to repair the damage he had caused so she wouldn't leave. He knew it wouldn't be easy. 

**** 

Ellie was sitting staring out of the sitting room window when a deep voice spoke from behind her, making her jump. "How are you feeling?" 

She turned her head and looked up at Mark, only able to meet his gaze for a second. "I'm fine, thank you." 

Mark sighed deeply at her soft voice, and ran a hand through his beard. She had eaten half the food Lizzy had put on the table and he had tried twice striking up a conversation, but it had proved an impossible task. He had no idea how to go about being nice to her, and it showed. Just being in the same room as her made him feel uncomfortable because of the way he had treated her so far. Now was no different. "I have work to do in my study," he said, turning away from her. "Feel free to look around the house, if you wish." 

Ellie watched him walk out of the room and relaxed her tense muscles. She felt as if he were going to pounce on her at any time, and she couldn't relax in his company. She didn't understand him. He treated her like crap, then he was nice, albeit reluctantly, then he was nasty again. She didn't know what to expect from one moment to the next. Still, he seemed to be in an okay mood right now, and he had said she could look around, and she intended to take every advantage of that invitation. This house was huge, and she wanted to see all of it. 

She decided to start upstairs and she knew there were three floors, having seen another staircase behind a thick curtain. She didn't know if it was a hidden entrance or not, but she wanted to get a look at it. Architecture like this had always fascinated her. 

The first floor had mostly bedrooms on it, the majority of them unused and the furniture draped with dust sheets to keep it clean. There were several bathrooms, some of them en-suite. All the furniture appeared to be very old, but it was all in good condition. The hallways on this floor were a bit creepy, being panelled in dark oak and with wooden floors to match. The only bit of colour were the strips of carpet that ran over the wood, mostly in deep burgundy shades. Even the tapestries and wall hangings that were dotted around were in the dark shade, adding to the general forbidding atmosphere. Even so, it was a lovely house, it just needed brightening up a bit. She reached the curtain she had spotted before and drew it back slowly, looking at the narrow stairs that stretched beyond them, leading up into darkness. There was no light switch that she could see, and she had no torch, but she decided to go on up anyway, maybe she could find a switch further up. 

She carefully climbed upwards. When she reached a small landing she smiled, seeing that the stairs started to spiral, and she realised this must be one of the imposing turrets that she had seen from the road. Luckily there was a little light from a small window when she reached the room at the top, and she glanced around her at the cluttered room. There must have been years worth of treasures stored here, she thought in wonder, touching a painting that lay in front of a pile of other paintings. It was of a beautiful blonde woman, but it had been badly damaged and she wondered how it had happened. It looked as if someone had taken a knife to it. There were boxes scattered around the room, all with writing on them detailing what was inside, and she was surprised to find dinner services and other similar items boxed up. The room was quite fascinating to her and she searched it quietly for some time, her eyes eventually finding a tiny table that sat underneath an even smaller window, it's surface free of the dust that covered everything else. Someone must have come up here recently, she thought, reaching out and picking up the ornate wooden box that sat on the smooth surface. 

As she opened it the sound of music floated to her ears, and she smiled. It was a musical jewellery box, something she had always envied when she had seen her stepsisters with one, something one of their many boyfriends had bought for them. This one was beautifully made, carved and inlaid with different woods to create a textured pattern that gleamed in the light. Her fingers touched the small gold chain she found inside, tracing the petals of the golden rose pendant that was attached to it. It had to be the most beautiful, delicate piece of jewellery she had ever seen, and she longed to put it on. Just as she lifted it out of the box, a voice boomed behind her and she dropped the whole thing nervously. 

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Mark bellowed as he came up behind her, his face a mask of fury when he saw what she had. 

"I....I'm sorry...you said...I could explore," she said feebly, feeling like she had been caught stealing. His next words verified that sensation. 

"So you thought you'd try to steal my possessions?" he snarled, picking up the box and the chain, checking it over to make sure it wasn't damaged. 

"I wasn't stealing...." 

"_Get out_! Don't you ever come in this room again!" he shouted at her, making her swallow nervously and her face lose all of it's colour. He slammed the box down on the tiny table, almost breaking both things, the turned his furious face towards her. 

Ellie had seen enough and knew he would really hurt her if he got hold of her, so she turned and ran, not stopping until she had reached the ground floor. She looked back and saw that he thankfully hadn't followed her, but she was in complete panic anyway. Her nerveless fingers fought with the heavy front door, but she eventually managed to tear it open and then she was running again, out into the snow covered driveway and onwards, as fast as she could go. 


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

Mark put the gold chain away, his eyes lingering on the rose pendant for a minute as bitter memories assailed him. He had bought this for his wife, but he had never actually given it to her. She had proved to him what a worthless whore she was before he had had a chance, and he was glad of it. This one thing served as a reminder that you must never let a woman get too close, never let her have any hold over you. It had originally been in a small glass case, but he had managed to smash that in a moment of anger, and now he had it resting here, in the carved wooden box that he had made himself. It was meant only to be touched by him and yet his current wife had been touching it. His teeth gritted as he thought about her being in here, and he stormed out of the room in search of her. She would pay for trespassing and he would make sure it was a lesson she wouldn't forget in a hurry. 

When he got to the bottom of both staircases he frowned, seeing the front door open and the cold air blasting into the hallway. He was just about to close it when he saw a small footprint in the snow outside, and he started cursing, looking up at the sky where snow was falling thick and heavy. 

That damn woman had run away! And in this weather. Now he would have to go after her before she froze to death. He swore deeply and moved to the hall closet, putting on his thick coat and his boots. Now she had something else to pay for as well. God, when he got hold of her again! he thought, gritting his teeth as he left the house. Lizzy ran to the door just as he was leaving. 

"Where are you going?" 

"To find my damn wife!" he snapped, stalking quickly off into the whiteness. 

Lizzy shook her head and slowly closed the door. She had thought things were going so well, but he had such a problem controlling his temper that she wondered if this marriage of his would ever work out, or if he even wanted it to. One thing was for certain, she thought, that poor girl was going to be in trouble again. 

Ellie ran through the snow, her progress slowing as it got thicker, but soon she was in the woods that ran all the way around the mountain, the sides of it encased in thick forest. She looked around her and wondered which way to go. It wasn't like she had never been here before, but she hadn't been paying much attention to what she was doing and now she found herself surrounded by trees and only knowing one direction, and that was back. She wasn't going that way again. Thank God it was daytime, she thought, because this would have been terrifying in the dark. Lost or not, she couldn't go back and let him hurt her again, nor could she go home. That thought stopped her in her tracks and she bit her lip, feeling sorry for herself. She would have to go to Becky's place, maybe hide in the stables until she could alert her friend that she was there. She had no idea that the other girl was no longer at her home. 

Thinking she heard a noise behind her, Ellie swung round, her large eyes darting this way and that as she tried to see if anyone was following her. But she couldn't detect any movement, so she turned back and plunged straight into the woods, hoping she was going towards the town where she could get her bearings again. Her feet were frozen and so was the rest of her body, inadequately covered as she was. She hadn't had time to grab a coat or put on boots, and she was wearing what she had put on that morning, jeans and long sleeve sweater, with sneakers. They were no protection at all against the cold, and she started feeling it acutely as she trudged on. Another sound came from behind her and she turned her head again, sure she had heard someone shouting. The thought that Mark could be behind her spurred her on and she moved faster, pushing through the snow and ignoring the branches that were scraping at her face. As she tried to run again her foot caught in a fallen branch and she went flying, landing heavily against a big tree and laying there puffing and panting as she tried to regain her wits. This time, when she heard a noise, she knew it wasn't her imagination and she saw a distant figure coming towards her, his huge hunched shoulders telling her without doubt this was Mark. She awkwardly got to her feet and ran, heedless of the calls he was giving and of the pain her feet gave her as she trod on the frozen ground, her only thought was escape. She fell over again and gave a groan of frustration. She always hated when the heroines of movies fell over when they ran, and now here she was doing exactly the same damn thing. But she had more justification, she told herself as she hauled herself up again. The ground was uneven and slippery and full of branches and twigs, the forest sloping sharply downwards, and there was no way she could keep her footing on all that. But she was determined to try, and she glanced back as she started to run again, her face paling when she saw how close Mark had gotten to her. He was crashing through the trees as if they didn't exist and she knew he would be on her in seconds. Her lack of concentration made her go down again, but this time she started sliding and had to grab onto a tree to stop her descent, the ground here falling sharply down onto a rocky ledge. The fall had been disguised by the amount of snow here, and she held on for dear life as she looked down and realised she wouldn't survive that fall. 

Mark made it to where she was hanging over the edge and reached down his hand, his face looking tight and angry. "Give me your hand!" he snapped, looking like he wanted anything other than to save her. 

"I can't," she whispered, her throat dry as she thought about trying to hold her weight on this tree with only one hand. 

"Give me your damn hand, or I'll let you fall!" he said, his voice full of rage at what he considered to be defiance. 

"I...c-can't..let go," she stammered, her lip wobbling as she wondered which was the worst of two fates, the fall or him? 

Mark studied her white face and terrified eyes and realised she wasn't deliberately defying him, she was truly scared. He leaned down and grabbed her wrist, his other arm wrapped securely around a tree trunk as he pulled her effortlessly up onto safer ground, tugging her back away from the edge until they were both sitting in the snow. The coldness of the ground seeped into his bones and made him angry all over again, and he stood up, hauling her up with him and giving her a good shake. "You stupid goddamn woman! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?" 

Ellie felt her teeth clatter together as he shook her and she tried to pull away from him, squirming in his hold. "What do you care?" she muttered under her breath, not thinking he would be able to hear her. 

But he did and he stopped shaking her for a moment, staring at her with surprise. "What did you say?" She stood staring at him mutely and he narrowed his eyes. "What did you just say to me?" he ground out, shaking her once more. 

Ellie suddenly glared at him, beyond caring right now that he was angry. "I said what do you care?" 

"I care because I paid good money for you, and you haven't earned your freedom yet. Now get moving and get back to the house," he yelled at her, shoving her roughly in front of him and making her walk. 

Ellie was shaking with the cold by now and her feet were just going past the painful stage and into completely frozen, but she would die before she let that arrogant pig know that, she vowed to herself. She managed an ungainly waddle through the snow as she retraced her footsteps, her progress even slower than it had been when she had made her way here, and she heard him sigh impatiently behind her. 

"Can't you go any faster?" he growled, so close behind her now that she saw his breath puff past her in a white cloud. 

"No!" she snapped out, then widened her eyes as the sound of her own voice echoed back at her. He was sure to shout at her now, she thought, and was therefore unprepared for the shock of the shove that caught her in the middle of the back, making her fall forwards. 

Mark stared at the small woman in front of him and then grimaced, dropping his hand back to his side. He had only meant to push her along a bit faster, not make her go flying into the snow. He bent down and went to lift her back up, then gave a yell of surprise when a sharp piece of metal sank into the side of his boot. It was sticking up out of the ground and he hadn't seen it, and Ellie had been fortunate not to land on it. 

"Goddamn it!" he yelled, pulling his leg back and hobbling about. 

Ellie pulled herself up out of the snow and stared at the metal in the ground, seeing blood on it and then looking over at Mark. She bit her lip as she wondered what to do, but she was too soft-hearted to let someone who was hurt be by themselves, so she moved over to him and slid under his arm, helping him straighten up. Mark looked down at her in surprise, but he let her try and support his weight and limped slowly back towards the house, neither of them saying a word. 

When they got inside the front door Ellie shouted for Lizzy and guided Mark into the sitting room where she could lower him into a chair near the fire, the warmth from the flames licking at their skin and thawing them out a bit. She bent and pulled his boot off with some difficulty, ignoring the curses he was heaping on her head as his wound throbbed with the movement. When she removed his sock, she winced at the blood that was seeping out of a nasty gash on the side of his foot. It wasn't too deep, she thought, and it didn't need stitches. But he would need it cleaned and possibly have a tetanus injection. 

"Oh dear, what's happened?" Lizzy said as she came in the room and saw his foot. 

"This goddamn woman nearly fell down the mountain, that's what!" Mark snapped, glaring at Ellie. 

"And that explains what happened to your foot does it?" Lizzy asked, staring from one of them to another. 

"She fell over, and I helped her up and hurt my foot. It's her fault," he grumbled, still glaring, but now Ellie had started to glare back. 

"It's not my fault that you got hurt," she said, her voice quiet but accusing. 

"Of course it's your fault! You shouldn't have damn well been out there!" he growled at her, his eyes narrowing. 

"I wouldn't have been out there if you hadn't scared me!" she said, her voice getting stronger. 

"And I wouldn't have scared you if you hadn't been in that room!" 

"I didn't know I wasn't allowed in the room!" 

Lizzy shook her head and hid her smile as she left the room and went to fetch a bowl of water and some antiseptic ointment and dressings. When she returned they were still accusing each other of various things and she couldn't keep the smile from her face. "Here you go, Ellie," she said, handing the tray of things to the young girl and then walking away. 

Ellie grabbed Mark's foot, ignoring his hiss of pain, and then started bathing the wound, trying not to lose her hold on him where he kept moving. "Keep still," she said, looking at him with a frown. 

"I'd keep still if you stopped hurting me," he muttered, trying to pull away again. His jaw went slack when she slapped his leg, hard. It had the desired effect of making him stop moving. 

"That's better," she murmured, cleaning the wound with more ease now and then adding ointment, something else he didn't appreciate, judging by the air hissing between his teeth. She looked up at him and then quickly away, starting to wind a bandage around his foot. "I appreciate your help....out there," she murmured and then bit her lip. 

Mark looked at her in surprise again, noting her embarrassment, but admiring her mettle. She had stood up to him and not too many people would do that. "That's okay. Thanks for doing this," he said, pointing to his foot. 

Ellie nodded and stood up, wrapping her arms around her body where her clothes were now soaked through and she gave a shiver, catching his attention. 

"You'd better go and get changed or you'll catch cold," Mark told her, standing up and holding her shoulders, frowning when he felt how cold she was. He swung her up into his arms and started for the stairs, his foot not holding him back at all. 

"Your foot," she gasped out, wondering what he was doing. 

"It's fine, thanks to you. Let's make you better now, okay?" he looked down at her and gave a rusty smile, surprised that it didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward. It felt good. 

Lizzy watched them go up the stairs and she smiled, going off in search of her husband so she could tell him that progress had been made at last. 


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Becky laid on her front on the bed, stripped to the waist and biting her lip to hold back the noise she wanted to make. When she had hit the floor her back had hurt so badly she wanted to scream, but she had managed to keep any sound from escaping. Now it hurt even worse as Glenn tended to her, his mutterings almost amusing as he cleaned her back and redressed it. 

She gave a deep sigh of relief when he had finished and he left the room, and she was hoping he wouldn't come back. But he did, only a few minutes later with a glass of water and some painkillers. 

"Becky," he said, his voice rough. She turned her head reluctantly and looked at him, her face still pale. "Sit up and take these, they'll make you feel better," he told her, holding out the two pills in his hand. 

"I need to put something on," she said, her voice husky sounding and weak. She winced as she tried to move and then just lay still. 

Glenn put the glass and pills down on the bedside table, reaching for her robe and draping it over her back, then gently pulling her up so she was sitting with her back to him. He knew she couldn't move properly now and he carefully held the sleeves out for her to put her arms into, his eyes averted so he couldn't see any of her tempting naked flesh. When he felt her tug the material out of his hands he moved away and picked the glass up again. "Will you take these now?"  
"Yes, thank you," she answered, strangely subdued now. 

"Why did you run?" he asked her, surprising her into looking up as she put the pills in her mouth and took a sip of water. When she looked down again and shrugged he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying not to get angry again. "You may as well tell me, I'm not leaving this room until you do," he said eventually and she slumped slightly, feeling trapped. Glenn reached out and lifted her chin up, his face softening unexpectedly. "Rebecca, talk to me." 

The sound of her name on his lips made her shiver and she looked up at him slowly, her whole posture wary. "I can't go through with the deal," she whispered, pressing her lips together when she had spoken. 

Glenn looked silently at her and then nodded, sitting down on the side of the bed. "I thought as much," he murmured. "So why did you agree to it in the first place?" 

Becky's face changed from wary to belligerent in the blink of an eye, and Glenn found his mouth twitching with amusement at the sullen look she gave him. "Why did you ask?" 

"I asked because I wanted you," he admitted, and was amazed at how little it bothered him to open himself up to her. "I still want you." 

Becky blushed and looked away from him again. "Oh, I see." 

"Do you? I wonder," he murmured, tilting her face back up to his. "You ran because you couldn't bring yourself to sleep with me. Well, that isn't exactly a surprise." His voice was deep and sounded almost...defeated, Becky thought, frowning up at him. 

"Why isn't it a surprise?" she asked reluctantly. 

"You know why," he said mockingly, one finger running down his scar. 

Becky instantly felt sorry for him and it showed in her expressive face. "Do you....do you think I'm pretty?" she asked quietly, feeling embarrassed to voice such a question. 

"No," Glenn said, frowning as he tried to work out why she had asked that. "I think you're beautiful." 

Becky's mouth fell open and it took her a second to remember what the point was that she was trying to put across. "And my back? It's going to scar isn't it?" 

Glenn nodded, still frowning. "Yeah, it'll scar. But it won't make any difference, you'll still be beautiful." 

"So why can't you see that you're a handsome man, even with a scar?" she asked softly, her eyes tracing his features with approval. He was very good looking, and if he hadn't acted like a pig and made her such an awful offer, she was sure she would never have run away. 

Glenn stared at her and his frown relaxed, his lips pursing. "If I'm so handsome, honey, how come you tried to run away?" 

"Because I don't want to be forced into anything...you know, like that," she said, biting her lip and looking down again. 

"What the hell makes you think I was going to force you?" he asked, scowling. 

"Well....weren't you?" she asked hesitantly, meeting his eyes again. 

"No!" he said indignantly and then rolled his eyes, smiling. Of course she would think that, he hadn't given her any reason to think anything else. "I wouldn't force myself on anyone. I just..." he broke off and shrugged, giving a derisive smile, "...I just wanted someone to come to me willingly, even if it was only because they were getting a safe haven out of it." 

Becky stared at him, hearing a wealth of emotions behind his words, and she knew he had been badly hurt in the past by women rejecting him. She reached out and gently touched his face, shocking him into looking at her again. "I would have come to you willingly, if you....if you had been as nice as I thought you were." 

"I haven't been 'nice' to anyone for years, except to my friend Mark. You're the first person who ever saw that in me and it unnerved me. I shouldn't have said the things I did, and I shouldn't have hurt you. But you need to know what I'm really like." He gave another deep sigh and rolled his shoulders, feeling tense. "Look, I'm not going to take you home, I know how they'd treat you and I wouldn't do that to you. No matter what I said. And I won't throw you out either, so you don't have to worry about that." 

"What about the deal?" she asked. 

"You can pretend it never existed, okay?" 

"But...I can't stay here can I?" 

"You can stay, I won't make any advances," he told her, looking ashamed of his previous behaviour. 

"I have to earn my keep though, I can't just let you keep me," she said, hoping he would let her stay but not wanting to sponge off him. 

"Well, maybe you can cook and clean, I am kind of untidy and I don't cook very many things. You can forget about the other part of the deal," he muttered, running his hand through his untidy hair again. 

Becky looked up at him and bit her lip. "Maybe I don't want to forget about it," she murmured, then went red as she realised she had said it out loud. 

"What?" he said, his breath exploding out of his chest as her words got through to him. 

"Oh...er...nothing," she murmured, looking down at the bed. 

"It wasn't nothing, you said you didn't want to forget about it. Becky, do you want me?" he asked her, feeling a little uncomfortable voicing that question, but needing to know. 

"I don't know," she answered honestly, swallowing the huge lump of embarrassment in her throat and trying to be truthful. "I liked it when you kissed me." 

Glenn found himself smiling at her discomfort. "You liked that, huh? Want to try it again?" 

"I never said that," she grumbled, annoyed that he was finding this amusing when she was only trying to be honest and make him feel better about himself. Her eyes widened when he moved closer to her and framed her face in his large hands, his touch incredibly gentle. 

"Maybe not, but I want to try it again," he murmured and then bent to her mouth, nudging her lips apart with his and delving inside, letting his tongue slip out to taste her unique flavour again. He groaned into her mouth as she responded, and his hands moved from her face to gently hold her against him, careful not to touch her back. His brows drew down as he savoured the kiss and after an eternity he drew back, looking down into her drowsy eyes. 

"Will you stay?" he asked her, his voice husky. Becky nodded, not trusting her voice after the devastating kiss. "Good, that's a start," he murmured, bending to her once more and forgetting about everything lese. 

**** 

Mark sat on the side of the bath and stared at the young woman he had married, carefully cleaning up the scratches on her face as the bath filled with hot water. He didn't stop to analyse why he was being so caring all of a sudden, and he didn't worry about it. Things were changing and he wanted to see what would happen. 

Ellie's eyes were closed as he rubbed the cotton gauze over the small scratches, enjoying the feel of his big hands taking care of her. When she felt him stop she opened her eyes and looked at him, watching him put the cotton to one side and stop the water in the tub, swishing it about and testing the temperature. 

She was already a nice glowing red from where he had stripped her clothes off her and wrapped a big towel around her body, and now he grabbed that same towel and tugged it away from her. 

"Come on, get into the bath, it will make you feel better," he said softly, looking into her eyes, his face unreadable. 

Ellie did as she was told, sinking beneath the bubbles quickly so she could cover herself up. It was unnerving to have a man stare at you when you were naked, she thought. Mark watched her soak for a few seconds and then left the room, going in search of Lizzy. 

He walked into the kitchen and found her busy preparing dinner, and she turned to him to give him a hard glare. "Well, I suppose you're here to ask me to tend to that poor girl again? What did you do to her this time?" 

Mark was taken aback by her question, then grimaced. "I didn't do anything. She's in a nice hot bath, relaxing. I thought maybe you could make us some hot chocolate?" 

Lizzy grinned and dropped the potato she had been peeling onto the counter. "That would be my pleasure!" 

Mark smiled reluctantly and sank down into a chair at the big table, folding his hands in front of him. "You like her don't you?" he asked suddenly, staring at his hands. 

"Yes. What's not to like? She's polite and she seems like a nice enough person. Of course, we haven't gotten to know her properly yet, but I imagine she'll turn into quite a lovely young lady given the chance," Lizzy said, setting out mugs on a tray. 

"You mean if I let her alone?" he asked, giving her a knowing look. 

"That would help, yes," she told him, turning to face him again as she waited for the kettle to boil. "It felt good though, didn't it? Being kind to her?" 

Mark looked sullen and shrugged, making Lizzy hide a smile. "It was okay I suppose." He rolled his shoulders and then sneezed, looking shocked that he had as he reached for a tissue and wiped his nose. 

Lizzy frowned and came around the table, touching his clothes and shaking her head. "You're soaked to the skin! Didn't you think to change your own clothes at all?" 

"No, I was...er....taking care of her," he said slowly, looking embarrassed. He looked down at his own clothing and grimaced. "I guess I'd better change." 

"Yes, you damn well better or you'll be getting a cold, I've no doubt. Get upstairs and I'll bring the chocolate up when it's ready," she said, watching him go with a sigh. Sometimes she felt as if he were still a child. If only he were as easy to manage as one. 

Mark got to his bedroom and started stripping off his wet clothing, frowning when he realised he hadn't even noticed how soaked he was. He got a clean pair of boxers and slid them on, then put a robe over his naked torso, shivering as he finally felt the cold. He went into the bathroom to check on Ellie, a reluctant smile touching his mouth when he saw her laying against the back of it, fast asleep. Without any conscious thought he lifted her out of the tub and started drying her off, seeing her open her eyes drowsily and then go red as he rubbed the towel over her skin. 

"I can do that," she squeaked, trying to take the towel from him, but he slapped her hands away and continued in silence until he was happy that she was dry. 

"Go and get dressed," he told her, dropping the towel and letting her go. "I'm going to take a quick shower." 

Ellie nodded wordlessly and almost ran from the room so she could hide her nakedness from him. She didn't really trust his change of attitude, but she wouldn't dare say that to him, and she quickly slipped into some clothes and started trying to get a comb through her hair. 

A few minutes later Mark came back in the room with just a towel around his waist, looking dead sexy and Ellie had to tear her eyes away from him, not before he noticed her looking however. A smile curved his mouth and his eyes narrowed as he closed the distance between them. "What were you staring at?" he murmured, bending so his face was on a level with hers. 

"N-nothing," she stammered, her gaze held by his glittering eyes. 

"Hmm, that so?" he said softly, his eyes dropping to her lips. He was just moving in to kiss her when there was a knock at the door and he jerked back, cursing under his breath at the interruption. "Come in!" 

Lizzy walked into the room with the tray of hot chocolate and placed it on the bedside table, smiling as she glanced from one of them to another, sensing the tension in the room. She could tell they hadn't been about to fight and she gave a small gleeful smile as she left the room, winking at Mark as she went. He felt a stain of colour touch his cheekbones and it shocked him that he could be embarrassed. His eyes fell on Ellie again and she was no less red than him, that fact making him grin. 

Ellie caught that grin and she couldn't help but stare. She hadn't seen him smile like that yet, and she couldn't believe how handsome he looked. She found she couldn't tear her eyes away and he couldn't fail to notice her rapt stare. His eyes narrowed and he tilted his chin arrogantly, stalking across the room towards her until he had her backed up against the wall, where he could put his hands out and trap her. "You're staring again, little girl," he murmured and she shivered at the depth of his voice, the way he was looking at her. His mouth lowered and this time she didn't try to avoid it, her eyes closing as his lips touched hers and he kissed her gently, his hands falling to frame her small face and tilt it at an angle. He instantly deepened the kiss as her lips parted, taking advantage of her weakness and plundering her mouth. Ellie was shocked when he drew back abruptly, but then he put his hand over his mouth and sneezed violently, cursing again when he did so. 

"Are....are you okay?" 

"I'm fine dammit," he said, annoyed that the cold had gotten to him. His tone of voice stopped her from saying anything else and in the end she just sat on the side of the bed and sipped her chocolate, trying to ignore the glowering man in the room. 

The next morning she was woken up to the sound of someone coughing violently next to her and she opened her eyes to see Mark laying on his side and trying to bring up a lung, by the sound of it. His hair was damp with sweat and his face was flushed, and she bit her lip as she reached out a hand to feel his forehead. 

"Oh dear," she muttered, sitting up and looking at him while he coughed. When he had stopped and was trying to take just one deep breath, she slid out of the bed and pulled on her robe. 

"Where are you going?" he croaked out, groaning as he started coughing again. 

"I'm going to get you some aspirin," she said, slipping on some shoes and looking at him worriedly. "And some cough syrup, if there is any." 

"I don't want any damn aspirin," he growled at her, his eyes watering as he gave her his best glare. 

"Maybe not, but you do need some," she replied, squaring her shoulders and looking down her nose at him. She waited to see if he would say anything else, and when he remained silent she nodded and left the room, going straight down to the kitchen. 

Lizzy looked up as she entered the room and frowned. "What's wrong, darlin'?" 

"He's...er..Mark's not well, I think it's just a cold. Do you have any aspirin? Maybe some cough medicine?" 

Lizzy shook her head as she searched through the medicine cabinet. "I knew he'd catch a cold, he didn't even change out of his clothes! Stupid boy. Here," she said, turning and handing Ellie a bottle of aspirin and a big bottle of some foul looking syrup. "I know he can be an ogre when he's ill, so make sure you give him plenty, just to knock him out if nothing else! And don't let him shout at you, make sure he knows you'll leave him there to die if he does." 

"I couldn't leave him alone, not when he's ill," Ellie said. 

Lizzy stared at her for a moment and then beamed, giving her a glass of water. "Good, I'm glad you can't. But don't let him know that, okay? Men are like children when they're ill, just remember that and treat him accordingly." 

Ellie gave a small laugh and left the room, rushing back upstairs to take care of her husband. The way he glared at her when she entered the room almost made her turn around and head back out again, but she swallowed her fear and sat on the bed near him. "Take these," she said, shaking out two tablets and handing them to him. 

"I don't damn well want them, I told you!" he shouted as loud as his voice would allow, throwing the tablets on the floor and glaring again. 

"I don't care what you want, you will take them!" she said sharply, taking two more and holding them to his mouth. She had a problem not laughing when he clamped his lips together and refused to take them. Treat him like a child, Lizzy had said, so Ellie followed her advice and pinched his nose, waiting until he had to take a breath. It took longer than she had expected, but eventually even he needed air and she pushed the tablets inside his mouth as soon as she could, drawing her fingers back quickly when he tried to bite them. As an afterthought she closed her hand over his lips, and it was just in time as he was about to spit the tablets out. His eyes told her what he thought of her, but he was actually too weak to do anything about it. "Do you want some water to wash them down? Or are you going to try and spit again?" 

She could see him debating that question in his head and he gave a slow nod, the taste of the aspirin almost burning through his tongue now. Ellie lifted the glass to his lips and removed her hand, watchful in case he tried anything, but he obediently took a few sips of water and then laid back, sighing. 

"Now, how about some of this cough syrup?" she asked, looking at the label and then uncapping it. 

"No," he said sullenly, not looking at her this time. 

"I think you should have some, your cough sounds awful," she said, looking at his averted face and feeling a rush of sympathy. 

"You've already thrust those damn aspirin down my throat....I don't want anything else!" he growled, looking at her again. 

Ellie could see that he wasn't really angry with her, more angry at being helpless for any amount of time. "Please, Mark, you're throat will just hurt you if you don't. I don't want to see you in pain, take some for me?" 

He stared at her and the hard lines on his face suddenly dissolved at her show of concern, and he found himself nodding and opening his mouth for the spoon. Even the bitter taste of the medicine didn't bother him as the warmth of her care flowed over him, and he let her tuck him in and bathe his forehead, his eyes only leaving her as his weak body gave in to sleep. 


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Ellie spent the rest of the day dosing him up with medicine and bathing him down, restricting herself to his torso out of embarrassment. But she had to admit that the feel of running a cloth over his huge body was kind of exciting, even in his current state. 

He hadn't complained any more about what pills he had to swallow, and his lack of antagonism made her feel more relaxed. 

The only thing he moaned about was the cool water she washed him down with, and he accused her of trying to kill him several times. But she blamed it on his temperature, because when he was cooler he didn't say anything bad, just looked at her with that strange expression. 

"Are you hungry?" she asked him later that afternoon, touching his forehead and nodding. 

"A bit," he said, studying her face as she leaned over him. He hadn't ever had anyone take care of him like this, except Lizzy, and he had to grudgingly admit to himself that he liked how it felt. 

"Would you like me to get you some soup?" she said, looking down into his eyes and catching her breath at the warmth in them. It was something she hadn't seen in him yet and it looked strange. 

"Thanks, I think I could eat some," he murmured, watching as she straightened up and left the room, a smile touching his mouth as she cast him one more worried look before leaving. 

When she returned with some home-made chicken soup Lizzy had prepared, he pulled himself weakly up in the bed and started to feed himself, cursing huskily when he spilled some on his chest where his hand was shaking. 

"Keep still," Ellie said softly, cleaning him up and then taking the spoon from his fingers. She filled the spoon and held it to his mouth, surprised once again when he ate it, letting her feed him the entire bowlful, his eyes ever watchful. "There, does that feel better?" 

He nodded and leaned forward when she indicated for him to do so, so she could plump the pillows up and then push him back again, her hands drawing up the sheet and tucking it firmly around his waist. "I'll just take this downstairs," she said, feeling a bit useless now she had made sure he was comfortable, and she picked up the bowl and the glass he had used earlier. His hand came out and clasped her wrist weakly as his eyes started to get heavy. 

"Don't go," he said quietly, and for just a second she wasn't sure she had heard him correctly. But he tugged her towards him and she sat down on the side of the bed, unable to resist feeling his forehead again. When his fingers slid onto her hand and linked through them, she just stared at them, thinking how nice it felt to hold his hand. She looked up at him again, but his eyes were closed and he was drifting off into a light doze, so she couldn't disentangle her hand until he had woken up. Placing the bowl back on the bedside table she gave a sigh, swinging her legs up onto the bed and curling up next to him. She had no idea how long he would be asleep and she felt pretty tired herself. A doze wouldn't hurt, she decided, and closed her eyes. 

**** 

Becky moved around the kitchen, aware of Glenn's eyes following her everywhere she went. Ever since he had kissed her, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her, and she didn't feel comfortable enough around him to cope with the intense stare. She couldn't believe that she had actually said, out loud, that she didn't want to forget the deal. Her eyes flicked over to Glenn and then back to the food she was preparing. How on earth could he look in the mirror and see a monster, when he was so good looking? Why couldn't he see what she could see? From what he had said though, there had been women in the past who had treated him like a monster too, but she couldn't understand anyone doing that. Unless it was because of his own attitude. He had shown her a cruel side to himself, and it had scared her to death, so much so that she couldn't help being wary of him now. But he did kiss really wonderfully, and the mere thought of what he had done to her mouth made her go red. 

She jumped violently when he coughed just behind her, and the tomato she had been slicing slid across the counter, leaving a trail of pips behind it. 

"Careful, honey, we wouldn't want you cutting a finger off," he murmured, his hand covering hers to still the knife. 

Becky tensed at the feel of his long fingers enclosing her clenched fist, and her breath caught in her throat at his proximity, something he couldn't fail to notice. She kept her eyes fixed firmly on their hands as his head bent down to her ear, his body curled over the back of hers. "Is anything wrong?" he said softly, the smile on his face showing itself in his voice. 

"No," she whispered, biting her lip as she felt his body press right up against her. 

"Hmm, are you sure?" he asked, his free arm wrapping slowly around her waist so he could pull her into the curve of his body. 

"I...I'm quite sure," she said, her voice high-pitched and shaky. 

"Why do I think you're lying to me?" he whispered into her ear. Before she had chance to say anything else he spun her around and covered her startled mouth with his, feeding on her like a starving man. Becky went under with no protest at all, inwardly cursing herself for being weak, but unable to resist the way he kissed. She loved the fact he was so big and made her feel even smaller than she was, it made her feel faintly protected, even after the way he had acted. She moaned softly under the pressure of his kiss and he broke off, taking a deep breath as he studied her flushed face. "Tell me you haven't been thinking about that since we kissed before," he ordered her, his voice slightly breathless. 

"I can't," she said numbly, holding tightly on to his arms as he held her up. 

"Dammit, I want you," he bit off, bending and kissing her again fiercely, his emotions starting to spiral out of control. He picked her up suddenly and carried her through to the bedroom, not breaking the kiss. 

Becky was dimly aware of floating, but all she could think of was how she was feeling. Her euphoric mood was broken when she felt the mattress under her back and her raw skin protested the pressure of the big man leaning down on her. 

Glenn pulled back from her abruptly when she yelped, his brows drawing down. Damn, he had already forgotten about her back, he had just been ready to take her to slake his own passion. "Are you okay?" he asked, pulling her upright and looking at her pained expression. 

"I'm fine...it's just my stupid back," she muttered, looking at him and biting her lip. "I wish it was better." 

Glenn couldn't help smiling at that confession, because she so obviously didn't realise what she was giving away by voicing it. "And if it was?" he prompted. 

Becky blushed as she realised what she was saying, and then she lifted her chin, staring him straight in the eyes. "Then I'd show you a thing or two," she told him, gathering all her courage. 

His eyebrows shot straight up and then he laughed, the sound rich and full and filling the room with it's musical quality. Becky sat transfixed by him, amazed at how much laughter changed his face. He stopped and wiped his eyes, still grinning. "And what, exactly, would you show me?" 

"You'll have to wait until I'm better," she mumbled, her courage starting to fade a little. 

He studied her carefully and then stood up, offering her his hand. "Okay, I guess I can wait. Now, how about we go back to the kitchen and you can finish making me that huge sandwich you were working on?" 

Becky gratefully took his hand, glad that he wasn't pursuing the subject just yet. But both of them started to feel more at ease in each other's company, and they sat comfortably together at the table whilst they ate their lunch. 

"How would you like to come into town with me to get some supplies?" Glenn asked her suddenly, surprising her with the offer. 

She thought about it for a second and then nodded with a small smile. "I'd like that." There was no chance anyone she knew would see her, she thought. Her stepmother, Isobel, never went into town anyway, always complaining that the stores there had nothing in them worth buying. So Becky felt she should be safe. Besides, a trip out with Glenn would be quite nice, she thought, looking at him with a smile, and receiving a smile in return. 

"Great. I'll get this stuff cleaned up," he said, getting up from the table and indicating their plates. "Why don't you go and get changed into your clothes? They're folded up in the laundry room." 

Becky nodded and smiled shyly again, getting up and going into the back rooms excitedly. She had only been here a couple of days, and he had been nasty for half of that time, but she really felt like they had a rapport now, and she started to feel at home. 

**** 

Mark woke up the next morning and yawned, coughing slightly and then grimacing. Well, his cold was getting better it seemed. He looked down at the bed as he thought about Ellie, and he smiled when he found her curled up next to his legs, still fully dressed. Obviously she had fallen asleep before she had a chance to get ready for bed. He reached down and stroked his hand through her hair, brushing it back from her small face and studying her features. 

The bruise he had inflicted had faded now, and he was glad of the fact. His brows drew down as he thought of how he had treated her. He had taken out all the bitterness he felt for his ex-wife and had directed it at this fragile creature, not thinking of how she might be feeling. In truth he hadn't thought about other people's feelings for years, but he hadn't ever had to live with the consequences of his actions before. Now he did, and he didn't like it. His fingers ran down her smooth face and under her chin. She was a lot stronger than he had first thought, and she had shown him that she could be stubborn too, what with the way she had cared for him yesterday. Another smile curved his mouth. Given the chance she could give Lizzy a run for her money when it came to telling him off, he thought, and he wondered if he ought to give her a little more freedom. The thought that she might leave if he didn't keep an eye on her, made him frown again, and he sighed, leaning back on the pillows and staring at the ceiling. What the hell was the matter with him, he wondered. He didn't actually care about her, did he? Hell, he didn't even know anything about her. 

He felt her stir and he looked down again, his eyebrows raising when she suddenly sat up and turned her head to look at him. "Oh, I didn't realise...I only laid down for a minute!" she said, scrambling off the bed and standing next to him, looking embarrassed. "How are you feeling?" she asked, placing her small hand on his forehead and feeling for herself before he could say anything. She jumped when he grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth, placing a kiss on her palm. "Why did you do that?" she couldn't help asking, feeling her hand tingle under the caress. 

"Because I wanted to. Is that okay?" he asked her, smiling. 

"I...well....er...I guess so," she murmured, caught in his eyes and unable to look away. 

"Good. Now come down here and kiss me," he told her, reaching up and pulling her down to him, ignoring the warning voices in his head telling him not to lose himself in a woman ever again. He allowed himself a brief taste of her and then made her sit next to him. "Ellie, I want to know more about you, about your likes and dislikes," he said, shocking her. "How would you feel about us spending the day together, just talking?" 

"If you like," she murmured, staring at him and wondering why he wanted to know anything about her. He hadn't shown an interest thus far, and she didn't wholly trust him. But she would do as he requested, because really, what choice did she have? 


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Becky watched excitedly as they approached the outskirts of town, and Glenn found himself grinning at her enthusiasm. Anyone would think that she'd never been there before. "How come you're so bouncy about a simple trip to the shops?" he asked her, looking at her with amusement as he pulled the truck into a parking space and shut off the engine. 

"I haven't been out for a long time," she said, not adding more as if that explained everything. Glenn waited for her to elaborate and when she didn't he frowned. "Weren't you allowed?" 

She shook her head, still looking out of the window. "No. Sometimes I had bruises and Isobel would never have wanted people to see them and gossip," she said absently and then she turned to look at him. "Can we go to the candy store? I haven't had any candy since....well, I can't remember the last time." 

Glenn found himself smiling again and he nodded his head, amazed at how easy it was to be happy in Becky's company. "Sure we can go. But you can't get too much okay, it isn't good for you." 

"Okay Dad," she said, rolling her eyes and giggling as he raised his eyebrows. 

"Get out of the damn truck," he muttered, casting her a thoroughly disgusted look. "Dad, indeed..." he watched her get out of the truck and then got out himself, locking it up and frowning as he thought of her little jibe. Did she think he was old? He was a lot older than she was, but did that make him Dad material? 

Becky caught his frown when he joined her next to the truck and she looked at him with confusion. He had been happy just now, what had happened to change that? "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine. Let's go," he said, drawing into himself and walking off. 

She looked at him and followed as quick as her short legs would allow, almost running to keep up with his long stride. She knew she had upset him somehow, but she couldn't think of how. Maybe he would tell her eventually. 

Glenn dragged her from store to store, placing orders with the shopkeepers and arranging to pick up the food supplies in two days time. Becky noticed that some of the store owners stared at Glenn, quickly looking away when he caught them, and she grimaced. This is the reaction he must have been talking about, but she didn't see hatred or disgust in the people's faces, merely curiosity, and that was understandable. Glenn had made sure he had his hair down and it was hanging over his face so people couldn't see his scar properly. She felt sorry for him as he was so self-conscious about his face, and she made a promise to herself that she would get him to see himself as she did, if it took her forever. 

When they wound up in a clothes store Glenn stopped and shifted, looking faintly embarrassed to be standing amongst racks of feminine underwear. "You, er....you need some clothes. Get a few outfits and meet me by the cashiers desk." 

"You don't have to go to any trouble," she began, but he turned and gave her a fierce stare that instantly shut her up. 

"You can't go around in the same clothes all the time, and you'll be needing...you know...underthings..." he cleared his throat and hunched his shoulders. "Just get what you need." 

Becky looked around her at the clothing and then back at the big man who obviously hated being here. "I don't know what to get." 

He looked faintly irritated, but he took a breath and then turned to the nearest rack, pulling off a sweater and holding it up. "How about this one...and this one," he added, picking up another one in a pretty blue colour. "It matches your eyes," he murmured, turning away and starting to rummage through skirts and pants to find other things to match. 

Becky followed him around the rails of clothes and held onto the things he thrust at her, bemused by the fact he was picking out dresses as well. Where on earth was she going to have a chance to wear them? she wondered. Her cheeks heated a bit when he started looking at the underwear and she stepped in front of him. "I can pick those out," she said quietly. 

Glenn looked down at her and nodded, taking the bundle of items from her and watching her pick her way through the cheapest underwear she could find. He shook his head and walked over to the cashier, the woman standing there looking bored. He dumped the pile on the counter in front of her and told her to start totalling them up. Then he turned back to Becky and looked over her shoulder at the sizes she was choosing. He smirked when he saw how small some of the lacy items looked in his big hands when he started looking through them, but he wanted her to be wearing nicer things than the ones she was looking at. Several blue bras with lace on them caught his eye, and he got a bunch of them, adding panties to match, then grabbing even more in different colours as he thought of how fantastic her pale skin would look adorned with them. 

Becky hadn't really noticed what he was doing, so she stood gaping at him when he held the bundle in front of her, looking arrogant. "You'll take these," he told her, pulling the plain white ones she had been holding out of her hands and dumping them on top of one of the stands. 

"I...I can't, there's too much!" she protested, knowing that things this pretty cost money, and a lot of it. "Glenn, I really prefer..." 

"I don't care what you prefer. I prefer these. You'll look beautiful in them." 

"You won't be seeing them!" she said instantly, her eyes wide. 

"Maybe not," he murmured, shrugging off the disappointment he felt at her words. "But don't you want to wear something this pretty under your clothes?"  
Becky's eyes fell to the lingerie again and she had to admit it was lovely, all silk and lace, something she had never been able to indulge in before. Isobel wouldn't have wasted the money on such expensive items. "They would be nice," she whispered, chewing on her lip with a worried frown. 

Glenn pulled her lip out from between her teeth and bent to kiss it, licking along it's plumpness to soothe any hurt. "Don't do that to yourself," he said roughly, pulling back and handing her the lingerie with a slight smile. "Take them, it'll make me happy." 

"Okay then," she said softly, taking the bundle and letting her hand linger on his big arm for a second longer than necessary. She loved the feel of him, and he obviously liked her touching him, the way his eyes sparkled down at her told her that. 

Glenn paid for all the items without even flinching at the price the woman announced, and Becky wondered how he could afford it. She didn't voice the question though, because she thought it might sound as if she were trying to get his money off him. When he turned and gave her the bags, she smiled shyly at him. "Thank you." 

"You're very welcome, honey," he murmured, keeping half the bags and taking her hand so he could tuck it through his arm as they walked out of the store. 

Becky didn't try and pull her hand away, it felt nice, like a gentleman escorting a lady somewhere, and her pleasure at the small gesture showed on her face. 

As they walked outside Becky felt a cold chill run down her spine and she stiffened, turning her head to find out why she felt as if someone was staring at her. For some reason she had fully expected to see Isobel, so she was shocked when she saw Ellie's two stepsisters standing in the street staring at her, cold smiles on their faces. 

"Oh no," Becky whispered, looking quickly away. 

Glenn looked down at her with a frown and turned to see what she had been looking at, seeing two overdressed and over made-up women staring at them. "Who are they?" 

"They...they're Ellie's stepsisters, they live next door to my father...oh God, they'll tell Isobel they've seen me," she said miserably, clinging to his arm for strength. 

Glenn glared at the two women and was pleased to see them look startled and turn away from him. "It's okay they're going," he told Becky, placing his hand over hers where it clung to his arm and giving it a squeeze. 

"They'll tell her," she whispered, raising big, worried eyes to his. 

"It's okay honey, she can't get to you while you're with me. She doesn't know where you are," he said, feeling his chest clench at the look of fear on her face. 

"You don't know Isobel...she'll find me, Glenn, she'll want to make sure I'm no threat to her," she broke off and swallowed hard, shaking. "Can we go home?" 

He felt shocked that she had called the cabin home, but it pleased him. "Of course we can, come on," he murmured, drawing her back towards the truck and putting her inside with infinite care. He wanted to get that look off her face, but he had no idea how to go about it. 

He glanced at her a few times as he drove back to the cabin, his attention having to go back to the road as they neared it because of how slippery the roads were, buried as they were under snow. The truck had no problem negotiating the tricky bends, and eventually he stopped it in a clearing not too far from the cabin. 

Becky jumped out of the car without a word, forgetting her bags as she almost ran through the sloped woods to get back to the relative safety of his cabin. Glenn had locked it up after they left and she had to wait on the porch until he joined her so she could get inside. 

She was aware of him looking down at her, and she met his eyes briefly, that one look letting him know that she was in the middle of a major panic. Glenn dropped the bags as soon as he got inside the warm cabin and then grabbed her arms, pulling her to a stop in front of him and bending to look in her eyes. "Rebecca, calm down, no-one knows you're here except me, and no-one in town knows that this cabin even exists. They cannot find you." 

She took a couple of deep shaky breaths and then let her shoulders slump. "I wish I could be so sure." 

"You can be. Look at me," he told her, using one hand to lift her chin. "I won't let anything happen to you, okay? Do you trust me?" She bit her lip and nodded slowly. "Good, then let me take care of you okay?" 

She nodded again and then shuddered. "Can I have a cuddle?" she asked in a small voice and Glenn closed his eyes, pulling her towards him and wrapping her in a warm embrace, giving her all the comfort he could as he rocked her gently. He knew that if this Isobel had been there right now, he would have strangled her without a moments hesitation, and he winced at his own cruelty when he had threatened to take her back to that woman. Whatever happened now, he swore he would do whatever was in his power to make sure this girl was safe. 

**** 

Ellie and Mark sat facing each other at the dining table, picking at the succulent food Lizzy had placed there for them. Mark's appetite wasn't good due to his cold, and Ellie felt too nervous to eat much. He had been asking her different questions over the last half an hour about her life and she had answered everything he asked, too nervous not to. 

Mark scowled as he watched her hands fluttering about at her plate, and he hated the fact that he was the one to make her this nervous in the first place. "Ellie, I ain't gonna hurt you if you don't want to talk, you know." 

"Oh, I er, didn't think...well, er.." she stammered and then stopped even attempting to talk as she stared across at him. 

Mark smiled at her inability to speak and reached out to grab hold of her hand, stopping her almost instant withdrawal. "Listen, I just want us to get to know one another, is that so bad?" 

She studied him for a few seconds and then shook her head slowly, her eyes flicking to their joined hands. "There's not really much to tell," she murmured, finding her voice again. 

"There's a lot to tell, and I only know half of it. Not the good half I might add," he said, smiling grimly as he recalled what she had already told him. If he had had any doubts before, now they were all gone. Her life had been crap, and he had almost made it one hundred times worse. "Now I want to know what you like doing, what hobbies you have...stuff like that." 

Ellie's eyes brightened a little. "I like reading," she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper as if someone would hear her. 

"Reading huh?" Mark said, smiling and stroking the soft skin of her hand as he held it. "What sort of books?" 

"Any books. I love reading. I like to learn about things, different countries, ways of life....and fiction of course, I like fiction," she said, her voice getting stronger as she explained to him what she loved about books. 

"Fiction? Romantic fiction?" he prompted, smiling at the way her face had brightened up. 

"Sometimes, and horror, I love horror stories. I like fantasy and adventure, something that takes me away from my everyday life, makes me forget..." she stopped talking and frowned, thinking maybe she was giving too much away. 

"It's okay, I can imagine you needed an escape from time to time," he said, squeezing her fingers. "Did you get to read much at your home?" 

"Before my father died I used to spend all my time in the library, but then Anne-Marie stopped me and threw me out into the servant's quarters...there were no books in there." 

"And no television either?" Mark asked her, frowning at the picture in his head. 

"No. I haven't seen a television for years," she said, shrugging. 

"Would you like to?" 

"See a television?" she asked, staring at him excitedly. 

"Well, watch some television actually. If you haven't seen anything in years, then you'll probably love some of the films I've got. How about it?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and smiling. 

"Can we? Really?" she asked, her eyes widening with surprise when he laughed. 

"Of course we can. God, you'd think I'd just offered you a bag of gold," he said, chuckling as he got out of his seat and pulled her up out of hers, tugging her along to the sitting room. 

Ellie stared at the array of electronic equipment he had in there. The television was enormous, bigger than anything she had ever watched, and it had an odd looking box underneath it. "What's that?" 

"That's a DVD player darlin', I guess you've never seen one of those before? You have seen a VCR I assume?" he asked, pointing to the video player. 

"Yes, my father had one of those. What's that?" she asked again, pointing to the video he had in his hand. 

"This is a film I think you'll like, it's called The Mummy," he said as he pushed it into the player and switched the TV on. "It's set in Egypt, and you did say you liked faraway places?" 

Mark settled back on the settee and pulled her down next to him, putting one big arm around her and urging her head down onto his chest until she was comfortable. "Okay?" he asked, looking down at her. 

"Mmm," she murmured, snuggling closer much to his surprise and keeping her eyes fixed to the screen as the film began. She was transfixed by the movie as it played, having never seen such effects in anything before, and she relaxed against him fully. 

Apart from asking Mark a question every now and then, she remained quiet, but when the film finished she looked up at him with a truly happy smile on her face. "That was great. Have you got any more?" 

Mark chuckled and nodded. "Lots, but I think there's something else you should see first," he said, standing up suddenly and taking her with him. 

"What?" 

"Come with me and you'll see. Don't worry, you'll like it," he said, feeling younger than he had in years as her pleasure in what she had seen transmitted itself to him. He stopped outside two big doors and looked down at her. "Ready?" 

"For what?" she asked, glancing up at him and then at the doors expectantly. 

"For a surprise. Ready?" 

She nodded and looked at the doors again, moving forward as he shoved them open and stood aside for her to enter. As soon as she got inside the doors she gasped, her eyes trying to take in all the bookshelves adorning the walls. It was a library, and the biggest one she had ever seen. There must have been thousands of books. She turned to Mark with wide eyes. "Am I...can I come in here and read sometimes?" 

"Of course you can. Ellie, as far as I'm concerned this room is yours," he told her, folding his arms in front of him and watching her excitement bubble up as she looked around her. 

"Mine?" she gasped, stopping her spin and staring at him. 

"Yes, yours. If you want it?" 

"Oh Mark!" she gasped out tearfully and then threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. 

Mark had time to unfold his arms and catch her, then close them slowly around her small body as she clung to him. He bent his head down over her and breathed in the scent of her hair, the floral perfume invading his senses as he held her. 

"I love it, thank you so, so much," she whispered fiercely, squeezing him tighter. 

Her words and actions made him glad that he had taken any time at all to get to know her, and glad that he had owned this library so he could give it to her. "You're welcome darlin', I'm just glad you like it." 

"I love it." she corrected him, looking up but not lessening her hold any. "Can I kiss you?" she asked suddenly and Mark wondered why he didn't pass out in shock. This small female hadn't initiated any moves toward him before this, not that he could blame her. But it felt good that she was doing it now. 

"Honey, you can kiss me whenever you like," he murmured, grinning down at her as she stood on tiptoes and tried to reach his mouth. "Need a hand?" he asked her, arching one eyebrow. 

Ellie hadn't seen him playful yet and she gave a small laugh. "Can't you bend down a bit?" 

"How about this instead?" he asked, picking her up so that she was on a level with him. "Go ahead, you can reach now." 

Ellie blushed and bit her lip, but she didn't back down. She leaned forward and placed her mouth on his, gently kissing the firm lips with all the emotion she had in her. Mark let her kiss him for a few seconds, feeling desire rush through his body at her tentative caress, then he took over. He parted her lips and delved inside, feeling her tense slightly and then melt against him, her kiss becoming heated. He pulled back before he could get too carried away, reminding himself that he couldn't do anything with her until she was better anyway, so he might as well stop. But the taste of her kiss and the feel of her body pressed against him made him take her mouth again, his eyes closing as he really stopped to enjoy it. He hadn't merely kissed a woman for years, not without it leading to sex. But now he wondered what he had been missing, and he coaxed her to respond to his mouth with a skill she couldn't hope to match. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he was starting to really care about this girl, and ordinarily he would have been worried about that, but right now he didn't care. He wanted to just enjoy. 


	14. Chapter 14

_***Okay, I guess I should warn you about sexual content!*******_

_****_

****

****

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

They spent the rest of that day exploring the books together, Mark discovering a renewed interest in the heavy tomes as he saw the room through Ellie's excited eyes. She looked so different when she laughed that he caught himself just staring at her several times throughout the afternoon, his own lips curving upwards in amusement as he watched her run around the room like a child at Christmas. 

"Did you buy all these?" she asked him, still unable to believe how many books there were. 

"No," he laughed, shaking his head. "Only the ones you see on some of the lower shelves. The others have been here forever. Probably before that." 

"I've never seen so many books in one place. There are more here than at the town library, at least from what I can remember I think there are," she said, smiling at him, totally at ease and not thinking about what he had been like to her since she had come here. "Why did you say I could have it?" 

Mark shook his head. "I have no idea, but I'm glad I did it. It's nice to see a smile on your face." He reached out and brushed his fingers over her mouth, watching her eyes darken when he touched her. "How are you feeling today?" 

Ellie frowned and stared at him. "I'm fine. Why?" 

"No darlin', I meant how do you feel...after the other night?" he clarified, and smiled as he watched the colour fill her cheeks. 

She shrugged and looked down. "I'm okay now, I think." 

"Good. I'm...sorry," he mumbled, and it was his turn to look away now, feeling uncomfortable with the burden of guilt that was weighing him down. 

"What?" she whispered, her eyes wide as she looked at him. 

"I said I'm sorry, for what I did. I didn't realise that you were in pain, or I wouldn't have acted in that way," he said, turning back to look at her, his face serious. 

"It's okay," she said. 

"No, it isn't, but thanks for saying so anyway." He raised his hand and cupped her face, raising it to his eyes. "I'm twice your size and I've hurt you. By rights you should hate the sight of me." 

"I don't hate you," she said softly, her eyes looking at his face with a freedom she hadn't felt before. He was good looking, she thought, with his green eyes and strong features. 

"Then how do you feel about me, Ellie?" he murmured, pulling her closer to him and taking the book out of her nerveless fingers so he could put it to one side. 

"I..I'm not sure," she whispered nervously, feeling the warmth from his big body as he got nearer, her hands lifting to press into his hard chest. 

"Okay, well, tell me how you feel about this," he said, lowering his mouth and kissing her slowly and thoroughly, unable to suppress a groan as he pulled back. "Be honest." 

"I like it," she said, her eyes becoming glazed. 

"And this?" he asked, leaning down to nuzzle her neck, using his teeth and tongue to make her shiver. 

"That's....that's nice too," she whispered, her head leaning back to give him better access. She shuddered when his hands lifted and enclosed her breasts, the thumbs rubbing at them until her nipples hardened, giving him something to transfer his attentions to. He lifted her top up and licked a path between the soft globes, switching swiftly to one side so he could tug at her nipple with his lips. He played with her for a while before lifting his head and looking at her face. "And that, baby? How does that feel?" 

"It feels so...it burns..." 

"It's good?" 

"It's wonderful," she breathed and he felt his flesh leap at her words. 

"Ellie, do you want me?" he asked her, watching her eyes open and focus on him. "Honey, can you take me again yet?" 

"I think so," she murmured and a second later she was up in his arms and he was striding out of the room and up the stairs to his bedroom. 

"God, I hope you're right," he muttered as he laid her on the bed and started pulling his clothes off his body. 

Ellie had a moment of uncertainty and it showed on her face when she looked at him, but he eased himself down next to her and slowly started to remove her clothes too, smiling softly at her. "It's okay, darlin'. If there's any point that you want me to stop, I will. I won't hurt you again." 

"Okay," she said softly, blushing furiously as he worked at freeing her until she was only in a pair of panties that were almost no cover at all. 

"Don't be shy with me, you're beautiful, every single inch of you. And you can see what you do to me," he said wryly, looking briefly down at himself and seeing her follow his gaze. 

Her eyes widened when she saw just how hard and huge he was, and she licked her lips nervously. "No wonder it hurt," she said, not choosing her words. 

Mark laughed as she said it, and she blushed even hotter than before, tearing her eyes away from his body only to get caught by his hungry stare. "It won't hurt this time," he promised, capturing her lips and kissing her softly, then nipping at her bottom lip and smiling. "It won't ever hurt again, I promise." 

He moved down her body so he could lavish attention on her breasts, squeezing the soft flesh in his hands and pinching at the hard nipples until she moaned, her hands going to tangle in his hair as he opened his mouth and drew one taut peak inside it, suckling her in a tense silence. Her gasps and moans spurred him on and he captured the other nipple between his teeth, holding her to his mouth as he flicked his tongue back and forth over her tender flesh, every movement he made intended to please her. The way her hands were almost pulling his hair out told him it was working, and he smiled against her skin when she whimpered softly. Her legs were moving restlessly about, so he moved downwards and pulled them open, blowing on her mound through her panties and then grinning as she arched up off the bed. He couldn't remember ever enjoying a woman's responses so much, but she was very vocal when she liked something. Hooking a finger underneath the elastic edge, he teased her soft folds until she was writhing beneath him, moving about to try and get him to intensify the contact. 

"Mark, please..." she whimpered, her eyes squeezed shut as her mind started to go into overload. 

"Please what, baby?" he said, his voice deep and velvety, the sound flowing over her and adding to her arousal in a big way. He moved his body up so he could lay on top of her, bending to kiss her moist lips as his hands deftly removed her underwear. "Tell me what you want, darlin'." 

"I want you," she said huskily, her eyes opening to stare into his, confused as to why he wasn't doing anything. 

"You want me....to what?" he urged, staring at her intently and wondering if she'd have the nerve to actually put it into words. When she stayed silent he nudged her legs apart and settled himself against her, pushing his hips forward so she could feel him intimately. "Tell me." 

"I want you to...to....oh!" she gasped as he used his hand to open her to his slow invasion, but he stopped with just the tip inside her, making her squirm. 

"You want me to fuck you, sweetheart? Is that what you're trying to say? You want me to push myself inside you, feel how tight you are? Hmm?" His voice was deep and rumbling right next to her ear, and she felt like she was going to explode. 

"Yes, I want that, please...!" 

She arched up tensely as he slowly pushed himself inside her warmth, feeling her enclosing him firmly until he was fully seated in her depths. He stilled and then flexed his hips carefully, looking down into her eyes and using his thumbs to brush the hair off her hot face. 

"How does that feel?" he asked huskily, using every ounce of willpower he had to stay still. 

"I feel so full," she whispered, her glazed eyes staring at him unseeingly. 

"It doesn't hurt?" he asked, flexing his hips once again and making her gasp. But the way she screwed her face up wasn't from pain, and he gave in to what he was feeling, slowly withdrawing and then plunging back in again, keeping up a steady pace that was driving both of them insane. He wrapped his arms around her back and dragged her over with him as he rolled, so that she was sitting on top of him. "I want you to take me, this time," he said, gripping her hips and showing her how to move until she got the rhythm and started moving on her own, her hands resting on his chest for balance. 

Before too long her legs and arms were shaking with the effort of trying to get him deep enough inside her, to move fast enough to satisfy them, and he thrust upwards to help her out, both of them moving in unison until she threw her head back and cried out, her body convulsing on his, her muscles clamping down on him and sending him spinning into a vortex of intense pleasure as she came. 

Ellie collapsed on top of him, her whole body shaking like a leaf in the aftermath of such intense pleasure, and her eyes closed wearily. Mark was no less exhausted, but he moved her carefully to one side and curled himself around her, pulling a sheet over their nakedness seconds before he fell asleep himself. 

**** 

Glenn stood in the kitchen chopping vegetables for a stew he would cook over the fire, and he glanced back at the small figure of Becky as she sat huddled on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her. Her eyes were vacant as they stared into the flames and, apart from a deep shaky breath every now and then, she hadn't moved at all for over an hour. He frowned as he gathered all the food together and threw it in the miniature cauldron he used on the fire, his breath flowing out heavily as he sighed. He was worried about her. She had been scared to death when she had seen her friend's stepsisters, and no matter what he said, she still believed that her stepmother would find her. He only wished he had some way of taking her mind off her worries, but the only way he could think of was something she would probably never agree to. Still, he thought, a smile touching his lips, he'd love to give it a try. 

After hanging the pot on the hook above the flames he sat down next to her and drew her into his arms, leaning back with her and rubbing his hands slowly up and down her arms. "You okay?" 

Becky nodded and leaned her head back against his shoulder, needing the warmth and comfort of his closeness, but she didn't say anything. 

"We need to dress your back again," Glenn said after a few minutes of silence had stretched between them, and she jumped at the sound of his voice again. 

"Okay," she mumbled, letting him pick her up and carry her through to the bedroom where he could lay her carefully down on the comforter. 

"I'll go and get some water, you get out of those clothes and lay on your stomach," he told her, going into the bathroom and busying himself getting medical supplies together. When he returned to the bedroom she was laying on her front, a robe draped over her backside and legs, but he could tell she had nothing on underneath save for underwear. He took a deep breath and sat down next to her, smiling when she turned her face towards him to watch. 

It was a pleasant surprise to be able to pull the bandages off without any sticking, and he gave a satisfied smile when he saw how well the cuts were healing up. "They look good, Becky, really good. How does your back feel now?" 

"Not too bad," she said quietly, looking up into his eyes and biting her lip. "It doesn't hurt like it did before and I can lean back on it now." 

"Good, you'll be fighting fit in no time at all at this rate," he said, cleaning her back and then adding some more ointment. "I don't think you're going to need bandaging this time, but this ointment will get on your clothes if I don't cover it up." 

"I could just put the robe over it," she said, shifting about on the bed. "That's if you don't mind it getting that stuff on it." 

"I don't mind at all, honey," he murmured, putting the supplies to one side and then laying down next to her. "Are you sure you're okay?" 

"I'm fine, it's just...seeing them again, I don't know. It shook me up," she whispered, her big eyes going to his again for reassurance. 

He reached out and brushed her hair away from her face, smiling softly. "Everything will be okay," he said, capturing her hand and linking his fingers through hers. 

Becky stared at his big hand and frowned. "Glenn, I don't want to leave here." 

His heart kicked up at her words. "We've already agreed that you won't have to." 

"I know, but...I don't want you to think I wanted to stay because I didn't want to go back there," she murmured. 

Glenn stared at her. "Why do you want to stay?" 

"I want to stay with you," she whispered, not looking at him as she said it in case he laughed at her, or rejected her. "You make me feel safe." 

He had been about to smile, but those words wiped it from his face in an instant. "Well," he sighed, "I'm glad I can make you feel safe." 

Becky looked at him and realised how he had taken her words, and she squeezed his fingers before he could withdraw them from her hand. "You make me feel safe because I trust you. I don't know why, but I...I like you, a lot." 

Glenn nodded and smiled tightly. "And you want to be my friend, I suppose?" 

"Yes, I do. But I want to be more than that, I want...I want to be your lover," she faltered, feeling her cheeks go red as she voiced her feelings. 

Glenn stared at her in shock, all thoughts that she liked him as a friend wiped from his head. "You want me? Like that?" 

Becky nodded and then turned her head so she was looking the other way, finding it too embarrassing to look at him again. "I thought it was obvious." 

"Not to me," Glenn burst out, looking down at her half naked body laying so still on the covers. 

"I thought you'd know by the way I reacted when you kissed me....you make my knees go weak," she said, her voice barely audible. 

"I do?" he asked her, a smile curving his lips as he looked at her averted head. 

"Yes. You're sexy and...handsome....and I want you to kiss me all the time," she admitted, still blushing as she forced herself to tell him, honestly, how she felt about him. When he didn't say anything she closed her eyes, her face falling. "I guess you think I'm a total slut now, don't you?" she asked him, feeling a tear seep out from under her eyelid. 

"No, I think you're mad, but I ain't looking a gift horse in the mouth. If you want me to kiss you, then how about you come here and show me how you like it?" he asked, grinning at her when she turned to stare at him. "Aw, now honey, there's no need for this," he said softly, wiping the solitary tear from her cheek and then leaning forward to kiss her gently. "Don't you realise how much I want you as well?" 

"Yes, you tried to blackmail me into sleeping with you," she pointed out, her voice low. 

"Yeah, I did. I was that desperate to get you, because I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met, not to mention the sexiest. And now I'm getting to know you, I find it's not just your body that attracts me," he said, raising an eyebrow when she stared at him in shock. "Then there's the fact that you actually think I'm attractive." 

"You are," she said softly, reaching a hesitant hand out to trace his features, her fingers running over his eyebrows and down his nose until she could smooth them over his lips. "You are," she repeated. 

"And you really want to stay here with me?" 

She nodded and stroked her fingers through his beard, watching him smile at the way she touched him. "I don't live here all the time you know," he told her, leaning into her touch. 

"You don't?" 

"No. I have a house on the other side of the forest where I normally live, but sometimes I love to just come here and escape from people," he said. 

"So I can't stay with you here?" she asked miserably, thinking he meant he would be leaving sometime soon. 

"Not all the time. Rebecca, if you stay with me you'll have to come with me when I go home," he said, sitting up and drawing her up with him, ignoring her attempts to cover herself up as her nakedness was exposed. "That's if you want to." 

He pulled her against his chest, watching as her breasts disappeared into the folds of his shirt. "And if I could keep you naked the whole time, I would." 

"You want me to go home with you?" 

"Mmm-hmm. Is that okay with you?" he asked her, smiling into her face and feeling light-hearted and happy. She thought he was handsome. 

She nodded and fiddled with one of his buttons. "I'd like that. Glenn?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Would you make love to me?" 

He froze against her and looked down to make sure his ears hadn't been playing tricks on him. "Now?" he asked her. 

"If you'd like," she mumbled, chewing her lip again and staring at his chest, unable to meet his eyes. 

"Oh, I'd like," he murmured, bending swiftly and taking her mouth, parting her lips with his tongue and wrapping his arms more firmly around her so he could lay her back on the bed and come down to join her. 

_****Oh, was that cruel? To leave it right there? And then to tell you that I haven't written any more yet and it may be a week before I post again? Now all I have to decide is if Becky's back will play her up and he won't be able to have his wicked way with her. Now THAT would be cruel! lol****_


	15. Chapter 15

_****For Cat, because she's going on holiday, and all the others who have begged. Have you NO pride? lol. Anyway, thank you all so much for the reviews and here's a small chapter. I wrote it in a rush, so hope it's okay!****Oh, yeah...sexual content and all that, blah blah blah. blah.;-)****_****

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**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Becky felt his big body cover hers and had the odd sensation that she was drowning in pleasure. His mouth was firm and warm and he was exploring the edges of her teeth with his tongue, returning to her own to stroke against it, pulling her into the kiss skilfully. She raised her arms and circled his neck, letting her hands run over his enormous shoulder muscles and test the firmness of them. It was hard to believe that a man as handsome and sexy as him would want someone as ordinary as her, but she didn't tempt fate by voicing the question, just in case he came to his senses and stopped. Because that would kill her, she decided, returning his kiss with more enthusiasm than skill. 

Glenn loved her inexperience, loved the fact that he was teaching her how to kiss him just the way he liked. It would mean she was suited to him and no-one else, like he had programmed her for only his responses to her touch. His whole body felt taut and aching, and he knew he was going to have to go slow if he wanted to retain any sort of control. It had been a while since he had been with a woman, and he wanted to savour this, even if he would get to do it again and again. His hands slid down her body and smoothly slid her underwear out of the way without her even realising it, and then they returned to her back, carefully skimming over the wounds there and smiling against her mouth when she didn't make a murmur of protest. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel any pain at all from this joining. 

Becky felt him run his hands down to her hips and she moaned into his mouth as he gripped her smooth flesh, the feel of a man's hands anywhere on her body new and very arousing, especially the way his callused fingers stroked over her. Little tingles of sensation followed wherever his hands went, and she could still feel where he had been stroking her back, her body coming alive under his ministrations. She arched up towards him and then gasped, breaking the kiss as her sensitive nipples brushed on his shirt. 

Glenn stared down at her and slowly removed his shirt, throwing it across the room and then undoing his pants, coming back down on her before he could take them off. The feel of her bare breasts pressing up against his equally bare chest made him shudder, and he drew his torso back and forth across hers, hearing her groan at the friction this caused. 

"You like that, honey," he whispered, dropping his head down to her neck to nibble at her soft skin, his tongue licking across the pulse that beat frantically there. 

"Mmm," was her only reply and she clutched at his hair as his tongue made a path down over her collarbone and onto the swell of her breasts, his big hands moving up to take the weight of them and lift one of them up to his mouth. Soft noises of surprise and arousal pulsed out of her throat when he took her hard nipple in his mouth and sucked gently, and he looked up and watched her face as he licked over the hard point, seeing the way she flushed with pleasure and almost bit through her lip. He renewed his efforts and soon she was making frantic little sounds as she tried to get him closer to her, any way she could. He raised up and kissed her with unleashed passion, taking her hands and placing them on his chest, then letting them go so she could explore him. And explore she did, with much enthusiasm and wonder, her eyes looking down at the broad expanse of muscle and gently touching every curve and swell, finding his nipples and toying with them. Her eyes flicked to his when he made a noise of approval and she caressed him more firmly, smiling when she felt him shudder. When she ran her hands down his stomach and felt the waist of his pants, she hesitated, not sure whether to carry on or not, but Glenn made up her mind for her by quickly stripping them off. 

Her face went red as she looked at his body without a stitch of clothing to cover it, and she saw the thick evidence of his desire for her laying heavily against his leg. It should have terrified her, she reasoned, but it didn't. "You're beautiful," she murmured, taking in his huge naked form. 

Glenn laughed huskily at that and lifted her hand up to place a kiss on her knuckles. "You're the beautiful one," he remarked, moving her hand down his stomach until she was covering his manhood with her small fingers. She jerked slightly at the contact but almost instantly curled her fingers around him, licking her lips as she concentrated on how he felt. She hadn't realised men were so hard, or so soft in places, or so sensitive when she ran her finger over the small bead of moisture seeping out of him. He groaned as her hands measured his flesh, exploring it eagerly, and he had to stop her before he came all over the place. He moved her hands until they were above her head, smiling softly down at her dazed expression. "Just leave them there, okay?" he told her, bending and placing small kisses over her breasts and down over her stomach, concentrating on the dip of her belly button and delving his tongue inside, tickling her. A small bite on her hipbones followed, laved with his tongue afterwards, and her stomach muscles clenched at the sensation. Her arms only moved fractionally when he kissed his way down to her knees and then pulled them open slowly, licking a line up the inner thigh and then biting on the soft white flesh, making her tense and arch as he neared her core. He allowed his fingers to skim over the delicate skin he discovered there, watching her face as he touched her in a way no other man ever had. She was flushed and her eyes were closed, her chest heaving as he pressed inwards lightly, tenderly opening her to his gaze, the moist pink skin looking succulent. 

He didn't question where all this was coming from, because he had never been so gentle with a woman before in his life, but Becky needed gentleness more than anything else and he intended to give it to her. He blew on her flesh and she shivered, making a small whimper as he did it again. Her thighs automatically tried to close when he flicked his tongue out and tasted her, running the tip up and down slowly, his lips curving with pleasure when her juices started flowing. She tasted exotic and clean, and if it was possible for someone to taste innocent, she did. He wanted more, and he pressed his tongue inwards, entering her tight passage and then licking, withdrawing and finding the highly sensitive nub hidden within her folds, teasing it with soft strokes of his tongue. Becky squeezed her eyes shut at the unbelievable pleasure coursing through her body, shocked that he was using his mouth on her, but unable to protest because it felt so damn good. Her body was climbing some invisible ladder, and she couldn't stop the way her muscles were tensing up, feeling ready to snap at any second. Glenn became the catalyst for that sudden explosion when he sucked on her, the pleasure so sharp that she splintered into a million pieces and drifted on a cloud of euphoria. He felt her climax and forced himself to release her softness, knowing she would become too sensitive if he continued. But he wasn't finished yet and he moved up quickly, positioning himself in the cradle of her hips and using his arousal to nudge the softness he had so recently tasted. 

Becky was still whimpering from the onslaught of her orgasm, and her eyes flicked open when she felt him there against her, awe filling her face at how big he felt, and how right. He leaned down on his elbows over her and framed her face with his big hands, kissing her lips in a drugging way that had her forgetting what was about to happen and he used her distraction to ease himself slowly inside her, biting back the harsh groan that built up in his throat at how tight she felt as she slowly enfolded him within her walls. His eyes watched her for pain, but there was only a slight hesitation, a moment when she briefly became lucid, and then it was all easy. He sunk deeply inside her and rested there, his hands moving from her face down to her hips and lifting her up for his thrusts as he started moving. It was difficult to keep the pace slow when his body was screaming at him to complete it, but he ignored the inner voice, withdrawing almost all the way and then sinking inch by inch back into her, her hips rising up to meet him as he did so. Her tight muscles were still pulsing from her climax, and now he could feel them tightening again already at his possession of her, and he started to move faster, making sure she matched him every step of the way. 

When he felt her muscles tightening yet further and her whimpers got worse, he drove for his own satisfaction, thrusting one last time as the pleasure finally raced through his veins, and then exploding inside her, her own orgasm milking his release from him in waves of ecstasy. He collapsed on top of her as his climax let him go, his body feeling boneless. Becky was feeling much the same way, and she was desperately trying to draw even one full breath into her lungs after such intense sensation. 

Glenn realised belatedly that he was resting his entire weight on her small body, and he moved to roll away from her, stopping when her arms clutched him convulsively. "Don't go," she panted. 

"Rebecca, honey, I'll crush you," he murmured, trying to see her face, but she had it pressed tightly against him as if she was afraid to let go. "I'm not going anywhere, I'll be right here." 

She didn't ease up on her grip, but he was far stronger than her and made a mockery of her attempt to hold him, rolling easily to the side and then drawing her next to him, his arm pressing her against his side. He brushed the damp hair from her forehead and looked into her eyes, smiling at the dazed way in which she looked back, her cheeks going pink. "Okay?" 

She nodded and hid her face in his chest, blushing even harder. Glenn chuckled and nudged her back up again. "Did you like it?" 

She nodded again and stared at his lips, her eyes flitting to his body and then back to his lips, her honesty getting the better of her. "It was wonderful. Can we do it again?" she asked, fighting her shyness as she felt little aftershocks of pleasure skitter through her. 

"Honey, we can do it all you like, when I've had a rest," Glenn said, cupping her chin and drawing her towards him for a kiss. "You're still innocent when it comes to this, but I have a feeling all that's going to change over the next few days," he said, chuckling again at her red cheeks. 

"You mean we can do it every day?" she asked, pleased at the prospect. 

He laughed outright at her enthusiasm this time and hugged her. "God, you're going to be good for me, little one." 

Becky settled against him and closed her eyes, smiling as she relaxed on his shoulder and started to drift off. This was where she was meant to be, she thought, unaware of the trouble that was waiting for her just around the corner. 

**** 

Mark woke up late that night and felt his body harden instantly when he realised he was spooned behind Ellie, her smooth backside nestled into his lap. His mind replayed what had happened earlier, and he smiled at the way she had responded to him. She was feeling more at home here now he had started being nice to her, and he was reaping the benefits. His hands lifted from her waist to cup her breasts, kneading the soft skin as he heard her give a slight moan in her sleep. He was glad now that he had apologised for his behaviour, because she was starting to trust him. 

Ellie opened her eyes when she felt his thumbs rub over her nipples and she arched back into him, the thick hard length of his arousal pressing into her buttocks. She had only to move a little bit, she thought, and he would be inside her. Biting her lip, she shifted until he was between her legs and then arched her back again, gasping as she felt him nudging against her softness with the movement. 

"Hmm, little lady, if you keep moving like that I'll be thinking you want this inside you," Mark murmured deeply into her ear, growling and biting her neck when she shuddered and pushed back, his flesh starting to slide inwards. "That what you want, my baby?" 

"Please," she said softly, her back still arched and her head pressing backwards into his shoulder. 

"Ah, honey, you don't have to say please, you can have this anytime you want," he growled, flexing his hips and sinking himself in her to the hilt, his hands still kneading her breasts. He was too turned on to take it slowly, and he slipped one hand down between her legs and ran his fingertip over the small pearl of flesh there, stroking her in rhythm to his hard thrusts, letting himself lose control as he pushed her towards her release. It took hardly any time at all, but he was exhausted when he finally emptied himself inside her, his chest shaking with exertion. "You're going to kill me," he murmured as he relaxed, chuckling at the way she was trembling against him. "But I can't think of a better way to go!" He closed his eyes and let sleep claim him, knowing by her even breathing that she had already dropped off after her efforts, and he briefly wondered if he would have the energy to keep up with his body's demands. 


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Ellie's stepsisters, Anya and Stephanie, sat at their lavish dining table, smiling cattily as they told their mother who they had seen in town. 

Anne-Marie's eyebrows went up and she gave a tinkling little laugh, the smile never once reaching her cold eyes. "So, that's where Isobel's little torment has been, with that creature from the woods. Well done, girls. I'm sure she'd love to hear about this." She looked at her two daughters, proud that they looked so beautiful in her eyes. No-one else thought that, they thought they were plastic and cold, but they wouldn't have dared say that to the mother. "I don't suppose you found out exactly where he lives in the forest did you?" 

"No," Stephanie said absently, admiring her new set of nails. "I think that man you know from the tailors...what's his name...Richard Castell? Well, I think he might know, you know how he knows everything about things in town." 

Anne-Marie nodded, another cold smile touching her mouth. "Yes, I think I may invite him for dinner tomorrow night, see what he knows," she said, steepling her fingers in front of her as she thought of the man they were talking about. He had always been fond of the way she entertained him, enjoying being whipped and beaten. No-one else knew of his predilection for pain, giving it and receiving it, no-one except her stepdaughter Ellie, and she was now safely tucked away with that beast of a husband. Richard had often come in handy when Ellie had needed to be taught her place, and the fact that he had immensely enjoyed himself had only added to Anne-Marie's own pleasure. She got up from the table and went to make a telephone call. 

The next evening she sat smiling at the dark-haired man opposite her, reaching out and brushing her nails over his hand none too gently, just the way he liked. His dark eyes sparkled as he stared at her and a smile curved his lips. Anne-Marie knew that it wouldn't take much at all to get the information out of him she wanted, and later that night she knew all she needed to know, and she lay back on her bed grinning. Isobel would be most interested to find out where Becky had gone. 

*** 

Isobel put the phone down and her eyes narrowed. So that little bitch was still alive somewhere was she? Damn. She had thought she was out of the way for good, and that her husband's money would go to her now his daughter was gone. But to find out she hadn't simply died of exposure somewhere...! She hit the telephone table and then closed her eyes in irritation as her husbands slurred voice called her from his study, plastering a loving look on her face as she went to give him more whisky. A few more bottles of that stuff - with the added ingredient she made sure she always placed in it - and he would be dead. Then this house, and all his money, would be hers. All she had to do was get rid of his damn daughter. 

*** 

Becky woke up the next morning and blushed as she felt Glenn's big arms around her, holding her close to his naked body. The events of the last evening replayed themselves in her head and her blush deepened. They had awoken shortly after they'd made love and Glenn had gone to tend to the stew, bringing her a bowl of it and feeding it to her, smiling as he did so. His own food he had wolfed down, never taking his eyes off her. As soon as he'd finished it he had put the bowls to one side and then pinned her down, starting to make a feast of her body as he loved her again. That had taken a long time and she had learned things she never knew about sex, and she wondered if her hair was curly this morning after all the little shocks he had doled out. 

She studied his face as he slept, touching his scar as she had done before, but this time she felt as if she had a right to touch him - he was hers now. His eyes opened at the gentle exploration and he smiled, the change in his expression softening his face and making her smile in return. 

"Good morning, Rebecca," he murmured, pulling her face towards him so he could kiss her. 

"Good morning," she replied once he had freed her lips, her smile turning into a beaming grin. "Shall I go and make breakfast?" 

He shook his head and grinned wickedly. "No, you're not going anywhere," he growled, grasping her hips in his big hands. 

"But, aren't you hungry?" 

"Oh yeah, I'm hungry," he murmured, bending his head to nibble at her neck. "But I've got all the nourishment I need right here." 

She giggled as his beard tickled her skin and he growled again, pretending to bite her savagely, making her laugh even more. He managed to keep her in bed for almost the entire day, only once venturing out to get an armful of food and dump it in the middle of the bed, before he came back down next to her and pulled the sheet away so he could look at her pretty body possessively while they ate. 

The next morning Becky woke up to find Glenn nuzzling her breast with his lips, a big smile appearing as he saw her wake up. She frowned when she realised he was fully dressed. "Why are you dressed?" 

He moved back up the bed and put his hands under her head, lifting her for his gentle kiss. "Because I have to go into town to fetch the supplies, remember?" 

"Oh. Can't I go with you?" she asked, staring into his warm hazel eyes, not wanting him to go. 

"I didn't think you'd want to, not after seeing those two women in town. Listen, I won't be long, and you can get some dinner cooking while I'm gone, can't you? You wouldn't want me to starve to death, would you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning down at her. 

She smiled and shook her head, knowing he was right and that she should stay here. The last thing she wanted to do was see anyone else who knew her. "Okay, I'll stay here. What would you like for dinner?" 

His eyes ran down her body and he grinned again. "I could think of one or two things, but I suppose I really will starve to death if I don't get proper food inside me! You can cook whatever you like honey, anything you make will be wonderful," he said, bending to kiss her and then drawing back with obvious reluctance. "I'd better get going." 

Becky sat up and watched as he left the room, glancing back at her once and then closing the door behind himself. She heard the cabin door open and then close and then she slid to the edge of the bed, sighing. It felt strange to be here on her own, especially when she would have been glad to see him go only a few days ago. She would have used the chance to escape and go somewhere that no-one would hurt her. But now she trusted him, and she felt a lot more than that too. She couldn't define what the warm feelings were that were running through her, but she knew she didn't want to be away from him now. 

After having a shower and getting dressed, she went into the kitchen and started looking for something to cook, coming up with a package of beef that would make a decent goulash. A search of the cupboards later and she had all the spices she needed, too. At least he had a well stocked larder, she thought, starting to chop onions and red pepper, her mind focussing on her task instead of the way Glenn had been so gentle with her. She sighed as he kept intruding on her thoughts and tried to concentrate on what she was doing, her heart doing little flip-flops in her chest whenever an image of him popped into her head. She couldn't help smiling as she thought of the playful way he had acted, and she wondered how many people had ever seen that side of him. She was willing to bet it wasn't too many. He had mentioned a friend called Mark before, and she wondered if he lived anywhere nearby, and if she would get to meet him. He must be his only friend, she thought as she browned the meat and vegetables, stirring the contents of the pan absently as she tried to imagine Glenn surrounded by friends, having a beer and laughing. It just didn't fit him somehow. She decided she would ask about this Mark person when Glenn got back. 

She had just poured some stock into the pan and put the lid on, setting it to boiling, when she heard a tapping noise and she walked into the main living area, wiping her hands on a tea towel. A frown creased her forehead when she heard it again and realised someone was knocking on the door. Surely Glenn hadn't managed to get back already? she thought, and she opened the door without a second thought, freezing when she saw who was on the other side. 

Isobel stood there, looking cold and uncomfortable, but with a smile on her face. It didn't look right on her as Becky had rarely ever seen her smile, especially not at her. "Hello, Rebecca, my dear. I've been looking all over for you," the older woman said, a strange expression on her face. 

"How did you find me?" Becky asked, surprised that her voice wasn't shaking, because certainly the rest of her was. 

"That doesn't really matter, what's important is that I did," Isobel said, suddenly looking worried. "Rebecca, I had to come to you, it's your father." 

Becky stared at her and then frowned, wanting to close and lock the door, but torn because she needed to know what Isobel wanted. "What about my father?" she asked at last. 

"He's ill, maybe dying. He's...he's been asking for you. Rebecca, you must come back and be with him!" the older woman said, looking as upset as someone like her could look. 

Becky felt her heart leap into her throat. "What's wrong with him? Has a doctor been..." 

"Of course a doctor has been! It's his heart, it's giving out. I think it must be the alcohol," Isobel said, and for a moment Becky overlooked the fact that this woman had encouraged him to drink. 

"I'll come...I...I'll write a note," she stammered, hating the idea of going anywhere with this woman. But she couldn't leave her father in her clutches if he was so ill, she would have to help him, be with him. 

"There's no time. Please, you must come now!" Isobel said urgently, and grabbed Becky's wrist in a steely grip, trying to tug her out of the door. 

"But..." 

"Rebecca, you don't understand! Even now, he could be drawing his last breath, I took a risk even leaving him, and I only did it to find you!" 

Becky took a shaky breath at her words. She had to see her father, regardless of what had happened in the past. She stepped out of the door and closed it behind her, heedless of the fact that she had no coat on, letting Isobel lead her through the woods to where she assumed the car would be. When they got to the clearing she saw a sleek black car sitting there at the edge of it, looking totally at odds with the surrounding snow. Obviously it had snow chains on the wheels, because there was no way it could have got here without them. She couldn't see inside, but she automatically went to get in when the door opened, stepping back one step when she saw a strange man sitting inside. 

"Who...?" she started, breaking off when she felt her stepmother's hand on her back. 

"Get in the damn car!" Isobel hissed at her, giving her a shove that sent her sprawling against the side of the vehicle. 

"What are you doing?" Becky asked, her face going white as she realised something was very wrong. 

Isobel laughed maliciously and leaned close to the girl, sneering. "I'm getting rid of you once and for all, that's what I'm doing. I had to get you out of that cabin without a struggle, and I did it so much more easily than I would have imagined!" She pushed Becky again and then the man in the car reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into the car before she could even scream. 

Isobel got in after her and slammed the door shut, staring at her with amusement as the man held her struggling form close to him. "This is Richard Castell, a friend of Anne-Marie's. He was good enough to let us know where this little place was and also to find out when that freak you're living with was going to be out. Obviously I had to pay him back for his efforts, and he asked if he could have some time alone with you." 

"But...my father?" 

"Oh he's perfectly all right, probably drunk by now I should imagine. He wouldn't want to see you anyway, even if he was ill, don't you know that by now?" 

"You let me out of here, right now!" Becky yelled, trying to kick out at the woman. "You can't do this!" 

"Oh, I think you'll find I can do whatever I want. And that includes letting Richard here have a good half an hour with you," she leaned closer to Becky and grabbed her chin painfully. "And that will be just before we leave you in the middle of nowhere." 

Becky's eyes widened when she read the sincerity of that statement and she struggled even harder. She had nothing left to lose now and everything to gain, so she hit out as violently as she could, please to see her fist connect with Isobel's haughty face and knock the woman backwards. She managed to hit the man behind her a few times as well, and he gave a muffled groan as she drove an elbow into his stomach, loosening his arms a fraction. It was enough to be able to tug out of his grasp and she lunged forward, her fingers formed into claws as she attacked Isobel's face, raking them down one side of it and drawing blood. The older woman screamed in horror and instantly tried to protect herself, her looks the thing she treasured the most. 

Becky moaned in pain when the man behind her grabbed her hair and pulled hard, but she was not going to give up, she promised herself, even if he ripped the hair from her head. She twisted frantically and backhanded him, making him let go. With Isobel still clutching her face and the man behind her slightly stunned, she took her chance and went for the door, flinging it open with surprise. She had expected it to be locked, but Isobel probably didn't expect her to fight back. She never had before. Frantic to escape the confines of the car, she fell out onto the ground, the snow soaking instantly through her clothing and making her gasp. But it didn't slow her down. She leapt to her feet and ran off into the trees, purposely heading in a different direction from the cabin. If she went straight back there they would come and get her, and she wasn't going to let that happen if she could help it. 

The sound of movement back at the clearing made her try and run faster and she felt the branches of some of the trees tear at her bare arms. No matter how fast she ran she could still hear someone coming after her and she looked back, seeing the man almost on her, giving her a renewed burst of strength. Pain swept through her body as his fist connected with her shoulder, sending her sprawling into the snow. 

"You're not going anywhere, you little bitch!" he snarled, bending to roll her over onto her back. 

Becky lashed out with her feet, and kicked him hard between the legs, too scared at the moment to be pleased at the howl of pain he gave. Isobel came up just behind him, blood trickling down her cheek, and her eyes flashed fire at the girl on the ground when Richard collapsed on the floor in front of her, his hands holding himself carefully. 

Becky wasn't sticking around to see what she would say, and she scrambled to her feet, turning to run again. But Isobel rushed forwards and pulled her back down by the hair, making her land awkwardly, her breath leaving her lungs in a rush. She looked up, ready to fight and then froze when she looked straight down the barrel of a gun. 

"Did you really think I'd let you go?" the older woman hissed, cocking her head to one side. "Oh, don't panic just yet, Rebecca dear, I'm not going to shoot you. Not unless you force me to. No, I'm going to leave you out here somewhere to die, that's what I'm going to do, then you'll be out of the way for good." 

"Why?" Becky asked her, starting to become resigned to her fate. "I would never have come back. Why bother finding me?" 

"Simple, my dear, because you're the one who will inherit your father's estate when he dies, and he'll die soon if I have my way. With you dead, the money all goes to me." 

"No-one would ever have found me to give me the money," Becky pointed out, trying to stall for time. Surely Glenn would come back soon. 

"I found you, didn't I? You weren't that well hidden. But you will be soon, I'll make sure of it." She gestured with the gun for Becky to stand up, and she did so slowly, never once taking her eyes off the gun. She was aware of the man getting to his feet nearby and she tensed when he walked up to her. 

His eyes ran slowly down her body and he gave a smile that chilled her far more than the snow did. "I'm going to enjoy taming you," he said, one hand coming out and brushing almost gently down her face. It was so similar to the way Glenn had caressed her that she closed her eyes in despair, wondering if she'd be able to live through this so she could see him again. From the way Isobel had been speaking, she very much doubted it. 

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_****See? You all knew bad things were going to happen! Sorry if it's a bit rushed, but I was totally stuck for a while!****_


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Glenn made his way back up to the cabin with his arms loaded down. He had picked up enough supplies to last him for months, and he had only done it because he wanted to stay here with Becky. He smiled as he thought about her, and lengthened his strides, unable to wait to see her again. 

The first thing he became aware of when he walked into the cabin was the unpleasant stench of burning, and he dropped the sacks on the table and went straight into the kitchen, turning off the burner under the big blackened pot. A frown lowered his eyebrows as he saw the mess in the pan, and he started for the bedroom, an uneasy knot of fear settling in his stomach. It took only a few seconds to search the entire cabin and then he went outside, looking around the snowy woods to see if he could spot Becky anywhere, but there was no sign of her. He called her name, waiting a few seconds before he did it again, his frown deepening when no sound came back to him except the echo of his own voice. She wouldn't have just left him, he told himself, she had been happy. A little sliver of doubt threaded it's way through his brain, but he resolutely ignored it, stepping slowly away from the cabin and looking for tracks. They weren't hard to find. Her small footprints were well defined in the snow leading towards the clearing, along with another set, slightly larger, but still obviously female. He followed them, wondering who else had been here and why Becky had walked off with them. Who knew about this place except for Mark? 

When he reached the clearing he stopped dead and stared at the mass of footprints here, some of them looked as if the foot had been sliding, like a struggle had taken place. He felt fear claw at his chest now, and his eyes darted about, trying to find some other clue as to where Becky had gotten to. Tyre marks were also clear to see, leading back towards the road, but Glenn knew he wouldn't be able to track them further than that. His eyes searched around frantically and he eventually found more footprints, the same as before, and then bigger ones, a man's prints. His heart was beating fast and hard as he followed them, seeing a large indentation in the snow and then another - someone had fallen here. Then the tracks became more faint, more confused and he cursed the fact that he wasn't an expert tracker, because he would surely be able to follow where they lead, and find out what had happened to Becky. His lips tightened and he squared his shoulders. He may not be a good tracker, but he knew someone who was. 

*** 

Becky was shaking like a leaf as Isobel pushed her along in front of her. They were deep in the woods now, and Becky knew she was totally lost. If Isobel and that man left her here, as they had threatened, she would never find her way out again. But she would give it a damn good try - if they left her in any condition to do so. 

"Stop here," Isobel said harshly, grasping Becky's arm in a tight unyielding grip. She looked around her and then back at the young girl, smiling. "This is perfect, deep enough in the forest that no-one will find you...unless I want them to of course. I'll wait a month or so, and then suddenly, Richard here will be hunting and find your corpse. Such a shame, they'll say, she must have been shot accidentally by hunters, and then she couldn't get out of the woods." 

"Y-you said you weren't going to shoot me," Becky stammered, staring at the gun again, her whole body shaking and numb from the temperature outside. 

"Well, I'm not going to shoot you _dead,"_ Isobel said, with a laugh. "But I am going to...how shall I put it?...cripple you. We can't have you running off on us before we're ready, can we?" 

Becky stood staring at her dumbly, not knowing what to say. There was no way she could persuade her to leave her alone, she knew this woman would never do that. "Then why don't you just get it over with," she said grimly, all the hate and despair she felt audible in her voice. 

"Hmm, you'd like that wouldn't you?" Isobel said, arching one eyebrow. "But you forget that Richard would like to pay you back for kicking him." 

The man stepped forward and smiled, touching Becky's hair lightly and then drawing his hand back, letting loose with a slap that knocked her to the ground. She foolishly hadn't expected it and she went down like a ton of bricks, laying on the ground dazed for a few seconds, until he threw himself on top of her and started pulling at her top. She would rather die than let this man rape her, she thought hysterically, and she started fighting again, earning herself another slap that made her ears ring. Still, she couldn't just give in, and she fought even harder, hitting and kicking him, landing several blows that eventually made him back off slightly. 

"For God's sake, shoot her like you planned, make this a little easier!" he said to Isobel, and Becky had no time to prepare herself for the jolt of agony that scorched her nerves as the woman did as she was bid, raising the gun and shooting her in the thigh. 

Her body curled up automatically in a built in defence mechanism, and she was momentarily blinded by the pain, her breath caught in her lungs as her mind tried to assimilate so much feedback. Eventually she came back to herself and tried breathing properly, working around the pain and looking to see what they were doing. Isobel was laughing as she watched her hated stepdaughter lay there in agony, and Richard joined her, rubbing his hands together. "That's much better," he said, his eyes narrowing as he licked his lips. "Now she can't fight me quite so hard." 

As he went to get down on her again, Becky pulled up reserves of strength she didn't know she possessed, rolling away and throwing herself backwards, so she could try and stand. She gritted her teeth against the sharp pains paralysing her leg and managed to use a tree to pull herself up, putting all her weight on her good leg. They were still laughing at her and she felt herself start to fade out, the whole situation taking on an unreal quality, as if she was watching a film. She still had enough sense to move when the man lunged for her, and she finally got her wish in getting away from them. She hadn't noticed the slope behind her, hadn't taken much notice of where they were going, but now she fell down it, her breath leaving her as she hit the ground and then rolled over and over until she reached the bottom. 

She could just make out Isobel and the man staring down at her from somewhere above, but her mind started shutting down and she closed her eyes, the shock and blood loss causing her to pass out. 

Isobel swore as she stared down the steep embankment. "We can't get down there!" 

"Well, nor can anyone else," Richard said, shrugging. "I guess I missed out, but you got what you wanted. She won't live for long with that wound, and the cold will likely get to her even if that doesn't. She'll be gone soon." 

Isobel smiled and put the gun in her pocket, turning away and making her way back through the trees. "You're right. My problems are now officially over." 

Neither of them had even the slightest feeling of guilt at having ended a human life, and they laughed as they left the scene, planning what they would do next. 

*** 

Mark hid behind the big old oak tree in his garden and waited for Ellie to wander around the side of the house. She had gone for a walk in the grounds a short while ago and he had kept himself busy in his study, but now he had finished his work and had spied her out of the window, unable to resist going out into the deep snow to surprise her. They had been getting along well for the last couple of days and he was delighted to discover she had quite a big sexual appetite now he had woken her up to the pleasures of her body, and she was beginning to take the initiative a little more. Only that morning he had woken to find her exploring his big body and he had only had the patience to let her continue for a minute or so before he had pulled her over him and made her enclose his willing flesh. A smile curved his lips at the memory. 

He knew he was feeling very strong emotions for the young girl, and he was pretty sure she was starting to care for him too, and he had taken a lot of teasing from Lizzy because of how soft he had become so quickly. But Ellie made him want to be gentle, her smallness against his own huge body made him want to protect her. If he could have taken back the way he had acted when he first brought her here, then he would have. She was bringing light to his life and he wanted her to know that he appreciated it. 

The soft sound of her feet in the snow reached his ears and he peeked out from his hiding place, grinning when he saw her strolling along, a small smile on her mouth. Her eyes went wide and she gave a huge gasp of surprise when he leapt out in front of her, holding a handful of snow and looking positively wicked. "Mark!" she gasped out, laughing at his evil expression. "Don't you dare!" she warned him, backing up and giggling as he wiggled his eyebrows. 

"A dare, huh? I can't pass that up," he said, pulling his arm back and throwing the snowball at her, his aim straight and true as it hit her on the shoulder. 

"I suppose you think I won't throw one back?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow and bending to scoop some snow up, shaping it into a ball in her cold hands. He laughed and held his hands up, ducking as she threw it at him and she missed entirely. But she was quicker than he had expected and when he straightened up he got one right in the face, making him splutter as he spat snow out. 

She laughed hysterically when he glared at her and then started chasing her, keeping his steps slow to prolong the adventure. He would normally have caught her in a few steps, but he let her run out through the garden before he finally got hold of her, tackling her gently and falling back onto the ground with her on top of him. He couldn't help joining in her laughter when he saw the tears running from her eyes with her mirth, and she shivered at the sound of it, stopping and looking at him, her hand touching his face gently. 

"You look so handsome when you laugh," she said, stroking his cheek. 

Mark felt heat creep into his face, but he grinned at her, pulling her face down to his for a kiss. "Why thank you, my baby," he murmured, seeing her blush this time at his choice of words. He had noticed that about her, he thought, that she blushed every time he dropped an endearment, and he made sure to use them as often as possible. 

She shrieked when he put a handful of snow down her neck and glared at him. "That wasn't fair!" 

"Well, I had to get you when you were least expecting it didn't I?" he said, making it sound like the most reasonable thing in the world. 

Ellie narrowed her eyes and suddenly pushed his head back into the snow, making him jump as it stuck all over the back of his head. "Serves you right!" she giggled when he looked shocked at her actions. 

"You're going to pay for that, little girl," he growled, rolling them so she was laying underneath him, trapped by his body in the cold fall. She struggled, still laughing and started pinching him, trying to make him get up. Neither of them noticed the man approaching them until he spoke. 

"Sorry to interrupt, but I could really use your help, Mark." 

Mark turned his head and looked up to see Glenn, frowning at how worried his friend looked. He pulled himself up and reached down to help Ellie, standing her next to him. "What's the matter?" 

Glenn grimaced. "It's a long story, but I need you to help me track someone. She could be hurt....or worse." 

"She?" Mark asked raising his eyebrow. 

"Yeah, Becky...Rebecca. I think something's happened to her, there were footprints and what looked like there had been a struggle....I can't track her Mark, but you can." 

"Who's Rebecca? " Mark asked, frowning. 

"She's a girl...she ran away from home, and I found her. Now she's staying with me," he said and his eyes fell to the young woman next to his friend. "Ellie I presume? Becky's told me about you." 

It was Ellie's turn to frown now. "Becky White? She ran away? Is she....is she okay?" 

Glenn shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know. Someone's been to the cabin and I think they've taken her. She might be out in the woods somewhere." 

"It might be Isobel," Ellie said quietly, trying to think of who would do something like that and only coming up with one answer. 

"Her stepmother?" Glenn asked, his eyes narrowing. 

"She's the only person I know who hates Becky," Ellie said, starting to look really worried. She lifted her eyes to Mark's and clutched his arm. "Mark, will you be able to find her do you think?" 

His hand automatically came up and covered hers, his face softening as he looked at her. "I'll do my best, don't worry. If we find her, if she's okay, we'll bring her back here." He bent and placed a small kiss on her lips, shocking the man who stood watching them as he had rarely seen his friend so at ease. "You go on indoors and get yourself warm. Me and Glenn will find her, don't worry." 

Ellie nodded and walked off, biting her lip as she thought of her best friend in trouble. She hadn't seen her since she came here, but she knew what Isobel had treated her like, and she wondered if Becky would survive out in the woods in this cold. 


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Glenn drove Mark back to the clearing near the cabin and watched as his friend crouched down on the ground, examining all the prints there. 

"You're right, there was a struggle. A man and two women, I assume one of them was Becky?" Mark asked, looking up and seeing Glenn nod. "Okay, let's get some supplies just in case, and then we'll start following." 

They pulled out a length of rope, a collapsible shovel and a medical kit, taking nothing else in case they needed their strength for something else. Mark kept his head down and followed the smaller footprints after Glenn told him they were Becky's, and they walked into the forest. Mark found the place where Becky and Richard had fallen, and he frowned, seeing other signs of a struggle in the broken twigs and grazed bark on some of the nearby trees. The only good thing, he decided, was that there was no blood. Yet. 

He followed the tracks until there was another disturbance, and they had been walking for a good half an hour by this point, landing them deep into the forest where hardly any person ever came. Mark grimaced when he saw blood in the snow a short distance away and he walked over to it, crouching down again to examine all the evidence laying around. 

"Obviously, there was a terrific struggle here, and someone's been hurt. They went in this direction," he said, pointing to snapped twigs and disturbed snow, leading towards a steep bank that disappeared downwards. Glenn rushed over to the edge, his heart lodging like a hard stone in his chest as he looked over, hoping that he wouldn't see a dead body. An anguished groan broke out of his throat and Mark stared at him in shock, moving to his side and following his gaze. 

There, at the bottom of the steep incline, was a body laying half buried in the snow, a trail of red from the blood leading down to where it lay. "Is that her?" Mark asked him. 

"Oh God, she's dead," Glenn groaned, looking around for a way to get down. Mark calmly tied the rope around the trunk of a big tree and then looped it around Glenn's waist. 

"You go first, I'll join you in a second," he said, pushing Glenn towards the edge. 

He winced in empathy as Glenn disappeared over the edge and quickly made his way down to the bottom, knowing how he would feel if it was Ellie laying down there. He waited until Glenn had unlooped the rope and then he grabbed it in both hands and rappelled down the bank as fast as he could. 

Glenn knelt next to Becky and brushed the hair and snow off her white face, grimacing at the feel of her cold skin. He belatedly picked her wrist up and felt for a pulse, his eyes closing as he felt one, albeit faint. "Oh God, baby, don't you die on me," he whispered, bending down to her ear. 

Mark joined him and saw that Glenn was next to useless, he was so panicked at her condition, and he gently pushed him out of the way and started getting the snow off the girl's body. As soon as he had he could see where all the blood was coming from, his brows drawing down as he pulled a knife out of his pocket and unfolded it, using it to cut the leg of her jeans open. He saw straight away that she had been shot, but aside from the blood she had already lost, it wasn't pumping out fast enough to be an arterial wound. Still, it needed binding, and he cut the leg of her jeans into strips, tying them tightly around the wound to act as a compress, stopping any blood flow. 

"Glenn, I'll go back up. I want you to tie the rope around her and I'll put her up, okay? Glenn!" he yelled, shaking the other man out of his stupor and waiting until he nodded his assent. 

He climbed back up the slope using the rope and then shouted down for Glenn to tie it around Becky. As soon as he had he started pulling her up, the progress difficult on the uneven surface of the incline, but soon he had her at the top and he lifted her carefully over the edge and lay her in the snow. He threw the rope back down to Glenn as soon as he untied it and waited for the other man to join him, which he did a few seconds later. "Will she be okay?" 

Mark shrugged. "We'll have to get her to a hospital. She's incredibly cold, but her pulse is steady. Come on, we better not waste any more time," Mark told him, untying the rope from the tree and coiling it up as they walked along, Glenn carrying Becky gently. 

To Glenn's eyes it seemed to take forever before they had got back to the car and driven to the hospital, but in reality it was slightly less than an hour. He sat sipping at a cup of coffee Mark had put in his hand, waiting for the doctor to come and tell him that Becky was dead, because he was certain that was what he would be told. Mark had made a phone call to the house and asked that Carl bring Ellie to the hospital so she could be here for her friend as well, he knew she would want that. 

Mark sat near him, staring at him with sympathy. "She'll be okay." 

Glenn shook his head. "She just started to trust me, and she wasn't scared of me at all. She actually thought I was handsome, can you believe that?" he asked, giving a harsh laugh and blinking his eyes rapidly. "It's fucking typical that fate would rip her away from me." 

"She'll be fine, Glenn, you have to believe that," Mark said, patting his friend's shoulder awkwardly. His eyes flicked to the door when it opened and Ellie walked in, her eyes red where she had obviously been crying. 

"Have you heard anything? Is she okay?" she asked as she rushed over to Mark and received a hug from him, not once thinking that he wouldn't give her comfort. 

"We haven't heard anything yet," Mark said, sitting her on his lap, his arms tight around her body. 

Ellie looked at Glenn and she reached out and took his hand, the fact that she didn't know him not making any difference to her at that moment. He obviously cared about Becky, and that made him her friend as far as she was concerned. He seemed surprised at her actions, but he didn't pull his hand away, merely tightened his fingers around hers and drew some comfort from her. 

They sat and waited for another hour and then the door opened to admit the doctor. "Which one of you is related to the young lady?" he asked, looking at the odd group of people. 

"She's my fiancée," Glenn said straight away, standing up and looking down at the doctor, almost daring him to deny him any information. 

The doctor cleared his throat. "She's going to be fine. The bullet didn't hit an artery, although it did graze the bone and lodge in her leg. We've removed it and patched her up, the only thing she'll have to show for her ordeal is a small scar. Her body temperature was a worry for a while, but again, that's okay now. I'll have a nurse come and get you soon and you can see her, but she will be groggy from the anaesthetic for a while, so she may not realise you're even there." 

Glenn stood silent, looking like a statue as he took in the doctors words, and Ellie and Mark stood up and moved towards him. "Thank you doctor," Mark said, shaking the mans hand. 

"No problem," the doctor said, sending one more strange look at Glenn and then leaving the room with a smile. 

Mark steered Glenn back to a chair and looked at him with worry. "You okay?" 

Glenn shook his head and then leaned forward, resting on his knees as he covered his face with his hands. Mark's mouth fell open when he realised his friend was crying and he stood undecided, not knowing what to do. But Ellie had no such problem, and she moved to Glenn and put her arms around him, murmuring soothing words as she rubbed his back. She was shocked too, that he was showing his emotions so easily, never having seen a man act like that, but she did what she would have done if a woman had been crying and offered him comfort. It didn't last too long, and eventually Glenn raised his head, his arms going around Ellie's back as he shuddered and gave a deep sigh. "Sorry," he muttered, wiping his face. 

"There's no need to apologise," she said, moving back when he dropped his arms and sitting next to him. 

"Yeah, well, you don't even know me and here I am acting like a wimp," he said, sounding disgusted. 

"No, you're not, you just care about her," she pointed out, smiling when he looked at her. "I'm glad she's found someone who'll look after her." 

Glenn nodded. "I didn't realise how I felt until this happened. I've hardly known her any time at all, but she's special," he said, taking a deep breath and leaning back in the chair. 

Neither of them had noticed Mark leave the room, and they both started when he walked back in holding some fresh coffee. "What?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at their startled faces. 

Ellie smiled and shook her head, seeing Glenn do the same. "Nothing," she said as Mark narrowed his eyes and gave her a mock glare. He handed them both a cup and then sat down next to his wife, pulling her over next to him with a small smile. 

The nurse came in shortly afterwards and Glenn left the room eagerly, walking with her to the ICU and sitting next to the bed. Becky looked so pale she was almost the same colour as the sheets she lay on, and he took her small hand, stroking her fingers as he studied her. 

"Rebecca, honey, can you hear me?" 

He hadn't expected her to be able to hear him, but she opened her eyes slowly and stared at him blearily, frowning. "Glenn?"  
"Yes, sweetheart, it's me," he said softly, moving closer to her so she could see him better. "How do you feel?"  
"Fuzzy," she murmured, still frowning. "Can't think." 

He reached out and brushed his hand over her face, wincing at the bruises that were forming on her smooth skin. "Don't even try, honey, just go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." 

Becky gave a tiny smile and closed her eyes, instantly falling into a drug induced sleep. Glenn studied her for a few moments until he was sure she wouldn't wake up again and then he went to tell Mark and Ellie to get off home. 

Ellie gave him a quick hug and Mark slapped him on the back, brushing off his effusive thanks with a grin. "We'll come back in the morning, okay? Do you want us to bring anything?" 

Glenn shook his head. "I can't think straight right now, so I couldn't tell you. I'll see you both tomorrow and listen, man, thanks okay?" 

Mark nodded and watched as he walked away, heading back to Becky, and Mark took Ellie's hand, leading her outside to get a taxi. 

That evening he dragged her up to bed early and made love to her as if she was about to disappear, being so gentle and loving that she ended up crying at the care he took of her. For the first time she realised that she had fallen in love with him, and she made a vow to enjoy every moment she had in his company, because she didn't know how much longer he would want her. He had never told her if he felt anything for her, although she thought that he might, just from his actions. But what if he grew tired of her and made her leave? That was always a possibility. The thought of him throwing her out was more painful than anything that had happened to her so far. 


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

The next three days were spent going backwards and forwards to the hospital, and Ellie was pleased to see her friend recovering well. The wound wasn't as bad as the men had first suspected, and Mark and Glenn went off to make arrangements to have her transferred to Mark's house, seeing about hiring a nurse to be with her until she was fully recovered. 

Ellie sat next to the bed and smiled at Becky, the other girl sitting up in her bed and looking impatient to get out of there. "How do you feel today?" 

"Okay, just a bit sore really. I wish I could go home," she moaned, grimacing. 

"Home?" Ellie asked her, frowning. Why would she want to go back there? 

"Oh, not home to...my father's house. I mean home to the cabin," she clarified, a small smile curving her lips. "It's really lovely there Ellie, and Glenn's so nice." 

"I know, I like him. He's been really worried about you, especially since you haven't told anyone who did this. Becky, can't you tell me?" Ellie asked, taking her friends hand when she looked as though she were going to cry. 

"Can't you guess?" Becky whispered, a tear trailing down her cheek. 

"Isobel," Ellie said, looking angry at the woman who had hurt her friend like this. 

Becky nodded and wiped at her eyes. "She said she wanted me out of the way for good, and she very nearly managed it too. At least I managed to fight that man off me. I preferred the thought of death to being raped by him." 

Ellie frowned in confusion. "What man? I thought you said it was Isobel?" 

"It was, but she had a man with her, someone Anne-Marie knows. His name was Richard, but I didn't catch his surname." 

Ellie shuddered as soon as Becky said his name, knowing exactly who he was. "We have to tell Glenn and Mark, they'll be able to do something. Maybe we should call the police?"  
"They wouldn't believe me. Why should they? Isobel's a respectable woman, or so it seems. It wouldn't do any good." 

Glenn walked in and caught those last words and he moved to the bed, sitting down and grabbing her small hand in his. "It was your stepmother? Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Because you can't do anything about it, not now. It's all over now, anyway," she said, sounding despondent. 

Glenn's face hardened and his eyes glinted with anger. "It's not over, not all the time she's walking around free to do something like this again. And I damn well can do something about it!" he snapped, making plans already. He saw her eyes widen at his tone and he leaned towards her, cupping her face in his warm palm and smiling. "No-one hurts my baby and gets away with it," he said fiercely and kissed her with everything he was feeling, making her melt into the hospital bed. 

He stood up and went towards the door, winking at her as he left. "Wow," Ellie said, grinning at her friend's red face. "That kiss was fairly volcanic!" 

"I know," Becky murmured, still staring at the door. After a few seconds she smiled and looked at her friend. "Isn't he gorgeous?"  
"Yes he is. But it doesn't matter what I think does it? You obviously think he is!" She gave a smile and then laughed. "It's nice to see you happy." 

"The same goes for you," Becky said, really looking at her friend for the first time. "You look so much healthier than you did when you were living with Anne-Marie." 

Ellie grimaced. "I never really lived _with_ her though, did I? The main house was just for them lot, not for me. And then she sold me," she mused, shaking her head slowly. 

"I know. Isobel took great pleasure in telling me about that, and telling me that she would try and find a suitable man to do the same with me. That's when I ran away." She raised her blue eyes to Ellie's and cocked her head to one side. "I thought I was going to die out there, but Glenn found me, and it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. But what about you, Ellie? I mean, Mark seems so unlike the person everybody used to whisper about, but what's it been like living with him?"  
Ellie gave a shy smile, her eyes lighting up. "It was awful, at first, because he treated me badly. But now, he's so sweet most of the time and...I'm happy," she said, shrugging. 

"I'm so glad," Becky said, squeezing Ellie's hand. "And it'll be fun staying with you until I'm better. I don't know why Glenn isn't taking me to his house, but I guess he's got his reasons." 

"He said something about needing it decorated, or something. I think he wants it to look perfect for you when you first see it!" she teased, laughing again at her friend's pleased smile. "Do you love him?" 

Becky chewed her lip as she thought about that, but she couldn't deny how she felt. "Yes, I do. Sounds dumb huh? I've only known him a short time, but he's just perfect. I can't imagine not being with him now. How about you? How do you feel about Mark?" 

"I love him, but he doesn't know that. He hasn't said anything to me, and I don't know what he's got planned for the future. He might get tired of me," she said, chewing her lip worriedly. 

"What makes you think that? Has he said that to you?" 

"No, but...I don't know, I keep thinking it'll end, you know? I don't deserve to be this happy," she said in a small voice. 

"Don't be ridiculous! You deserve it more than anyone I know! Try not to think that way, and just enjoy yourself," Becky advised, patting Ellie's hand and smiling at her. "I bet he's a tiger in bed!" 

Ellie blushed and then burst out laughing. She had forgotten how Becky could draw laughter from her. "He is, thank you! I bet Glenn is too?" 

It was Becky's turn to blush now, but she grinned and nodded. "Yep, he sure is!" 

They were both giggling as they thought about their respective men, and when Glenn and Mark walked back in the room they stared at them suspiciously. "I hope you're not laughing about us?" Mark asked, pulling a chair up next to Ellie and putting an arm around her shoulders. 

"Would we laugh at you?" she asked, staring at him adoringly. 

Mark's green eyes sparkled as they looked into hers, and he narrowed them thoughtfully. "Ya know, I think ya just might," he drawled, grinning as she blushed at his intent stare. 

Glenn stared at them and shook his head, even as he was linking his fingers through Becky's and smiling at her in much the same fashion. "You can get out of here later today," he told her, grinning at her surprised face. 

"Today? But they said I'd be in here at least another week!" 

"Well, we pulled some strings, and we've hired a nurse, so they said you were free to come back with us," Glenn said, smiling wickedly. "I think that deserves a hug at the very least." 

Becky giggled and opened her arms, wrapping them around his neck when he leaned towards her. She sighed as his arms folded around her carefully, and she laid her head on his shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered, and she felt his breath huff out in her ear. 

"You're welcome honey, it's little enough to do to get you back with me," he murmured, closing his eyes and savouring her warmth. 

Mark raised an eyebrow and looked at Ellie with pursed lips. "Maybe we should get out of here?" 

Glenn caught his words and glared at him over Becky's shoulder. "And then how would we get to your house? We came in your car remember?"  
"I forgot that," Mark said, rolling his eyes and then grinning at his friend. "Okay, I guess we can wait. How long until they release her?" 

"The doctor said he'd be right up," Glenn said, pulling back from Becky with a warm smile and then taking her hand to prolong the contact with her. The way he felt about her was obvious to everyone in the room, and Becky couldn't take her eyes off him, only managing the feat when the door opened. 

"Well, it seems you're going to be taken good care of somewhere else?" the doctor said, smiling at Becky and then studying her chart. "Okay, you're doing well, so I don't see any problem with that. I'll get a prescription for the pain left at the front desk, and you can pick it up on your way out." He looked at her and grinned. "You're free to go." 

"Thank you," she said, incredibly happy to be getting out of there so soon. 

As soon as the doctor left the room, Glenn stood up and opened the closet, pulling out some clothes he had brought in for her. "If you two want to get out of here, I'll get her dressed," he said to Mark and Ellie, holding up some sweat pants and a matching top. 

Mark stood up and drew Ellie along with him, smiling and shaking his head as he left the room without a word. Glenn turned to Becky and gave her a wicked smile, dangling a pair of panties on one finger. "Seems I got the tough job," he murmured, pulling back the covers and making her sit forward so he could untie the unattractive hospital gown. He tried to ignore the smooth skin he revealed, but his body couldn't help responding to the enticing sight. 

He put the top on her, omitting a bra, and then pulled her underwear off her, careful not to hurt her bandaged leg as he slid them down. It didn't take long to put clean underwear and the sweat pants on her, but he was sweating by the time he had finished, just from touching her sexy body. She couldn't help but notice and she bit her lip as she glanced at the obvious bulge in his jeans. Glenn looked down wryly and smiled. "See what you did?" 

"I'm ill, I haven't done a single thing!" she said, smiling as he sat next to her on the bed. 

"No, and you won't be able to for a while either," he grumbled, brushing a lock of black hair behind her ear. "I suppose I'll have to learn restraint." 

"We can still kiss though, can't we?" she asked quietly, staring at his mouth. 

"Try and stop me," he murmured, leaning in and kissing her gently. He drew back and looked into her eyes, seeing emotion reflected back at him. "Rebecca, how do you feel about me?" 

"Why?" she asked, strangely reluctant to voice her emotions without knowing how he felt first. 

"Because I love you, that's why. I want to know if you feel the same, I need to know," he said, flooring her with his honestly and the fact that he wasn't remotely reticent about voicing how he felt. 

"You do?" she asked, her voice high pitched. 

"Yes, I do. Well?" he asked her, looking faintly worried. 

"I love you too," she whispered, lifting her hand to lovingly stroke his face, her fingers touching his scar. "I love you so much, Glenn."  
He closed his eyes and pulled her against him, wrapping his big arms around her body, and she could feel his heartbeat shaking his big body. "God Becky, I love you! I didn't even realise until I almost lost you!" 

"I'm not going anywhere," she said, smiling. "You can't lose me, not now I know you love me." 

"I'm going to prove it as often as I can," he muttered, squeezing her. "I'll give you a baby, if you want one, and everything I own is yours." 

"I only want you," she murmured, drawing back to frame his face and kiss him. "And lots of babies!" 

"They'll be beautiful, just like you," he murmured, grinning as he thought of what his future would now be like. 

A knock at the door made him look away from her, and he called out for whoever it was to come in, grimacing when he saw Mark standing there. "Great timing buddy." 

Mark's eyebrows shot up and he gave a mocking smile. "So sorry. Just thought you might like to know that I'm going to bring the car around to the front. I assume you're ready to go?" 

Glenn nodded and stood up, glad to find his body had deflated somewhat. "I'll bring her down in a second," he said, watching his friend leave the room. "Come, my lady, let's get you out of here." He picked her up carefully from the bed, but she felt no pain as she stared at the man she now knew loved her. She only hoped everything would turn out so well for Ellie. 


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

Three weeks passed by, and Ellie felt closer than ever to Mark. He was attentive and caring round her, but he never once said how he felt about her. Becky continued to get better, leaving the bed after the first four days and dismissing the nurse after the first week, no longer needing any extra care. Glenn took good enough care of her as it was, and on the day he had proposed to her, actually going down on one knee, she had cried her eyes out. Mark and Ellie had come rushing to see what was wrong with her, both of them laughing when they saw an embarrassed Glenn still kneeling on the floor holding a sobbing Becky. He had soon seen the funny side of the situation and had laughed along with them, happier than he could ever remember being when she accepted his proposal. 

Without her being aware of their actions, he and Mark had called in the police and made an official complaint against Isobel and Richard, also claiming that they should look into how she was treating her husband. The welcome news came back a few days afterwards that Richard had been arrested for not just this offence, but several others, and so had Isobel, one of the servants speaking out about what she was doing to Becky's father, and of what she had been doing to Becky for years. They wouldn't be getting out of prison any time soon, if ever, and Glenn chose that time to inform Becky of what had happened, asking what she wanted to do about her father. 

"I'm not sure," she said, pleased to know Isobel was gone, but thinking of how she had suffered at her father's hands, regardless of the fact he had been drunk. "Do you know if he's still drinking?" 

Glenn grimaced and nodded. "Yes, he is. The cook, Maude, is still with him out of loyalty. I spoke to her a couple of days ago. She didn't expect you to come back." 

Becky closed her eyes briefly and then looked at Glenn sadly. "He hurt me so much, Glenn, and I can't forgive that. I don't care if he was drinking, that's no excuse. He had the choice of whether or not to drink, and he chose to. Whatever happened after that was a direct result of that choice." She shook her head and lifted her chin. "He's nothing to me now. You're all the family I need."  
Glenn smiled, sad for her that she would never see her father again, but understanding her decision. And he was happy that she saw him as her family. His future looked bright now. 

Mark had been talking to a lawyer about what Ellie's rights were regarding her old home, but it turned out that Anne-Marie had every right to be there and was free to choose who lived there with her. She had legally been the beneficiary of Ellie's father's will, and there was nothing they could do to remove her. Mark chose not to tell Ellie about what he had discovered. As far as he was concerned she would never need to go back there anyway, so it was of little matter. His own guilt about how he had bought her from that woman kept rising in his throat like bile, and he started to pull away from her as he tried to cope with his own feelings. He wasn't used to feeling bad about something, even if he had apologised for how he had been. It just ate away at him. 

Ellie couldn't possibly know the reason for his sudden withdrawal, and she saw it as something different entirely. He was growing tired of her. It wasn't quite so apparent whilst Becky and Glenn were with them, but when they left she noticed it more than ever, and it made her become quiet and withdrawn herself. She even hid the fact that she had recently started feeling unwell, not knowing whether or not he would care anymore. 

Lizzy watched the way the two acted around each other and she sighed, shaking her head. They had been getting on so well, and she had truly believed that Mark loved Ellie, but now he had become sullen and grumpy again. He wouldn't even listen to her when she tried to talk to him, and so she left him to it, knowing that it would work itself out eventually, one way or another. 

*** 

A few days passed in relative silence, and Mark was sitting in his study when the phone rang. He picked it up absently and then smiled when he heard Glenn on the other end. "Hey, Glenn, how's everything going?" 

"Really good. Becky loves the house, and she's already making plans for decorating one of the rooms as a nursery." 

"You're not even married yet," Mark pointed out, laughing at excitement that was bubbling out of his friend. 

"We will be, as soon as I can arrange it. Which reminds me, that's why I called. You'll be my best man won't you?" 

"I'd be insulted if you asked anyone else!" Mark said, laughing. "Of course I will." 

"Great! I'll let you know when and where. So," Glenn said, sounding slightly more relaxed, "how are things between you and Ellie?" 

"Okay, I guess," Mark said, tapping his fingers on his desk as he gazed out of the window. 

"You don't sound too sure," Glenn said. 

"Hell, I don't know what's the matter with me anymore!" Mark burst out, feeling the need to unburden himself. "I feel so bad for the way she came here that I can't talk to her anymore." 

"You seemed okay when we were there." 

"Yeah well I wasn't. Christ, Glenn, I can't even bring myself to look at her!" 

"You've already apologised to her, haven't you? So why feel guilty now? She obviously loves you," Glenn said. 

"Yeah, right," Mark scoffed, giving a short laugh. 

"She does, all you have to do is open your eyes and look," Glenn said, sighing. "And you love her too otherwise you wouldn't feel so bad. Unless you're still hung up on that ex-wife of yours?" 

"No way, she's a total slut!" Mark said loudly, frowning with distaste when he thought of that woman. 

"So you're not still in love with her or anything stupid like that?" 

"Of course I don't love her. Who the hell would? I'd rather see her dead than fall in love with her!" He took a deep breath and then released it slowly out of his nose. "Enough about her, I'd rather talk about something a little more savoury." 

Glenn chuckled and relented. "Okay, man, just checking. Now, about Ellie," he continued, hearing Mark's breathing even out slightly as he carried on. 

To the girl standing outside the door, it sounded as if every word had been about herself, and she felt the blood drain from her face as she quickly moved away. She sank down onto the bottom step and tried to breathe, the pain in her chest intense as her world crumbled around her. She loved him so much, and he thought she was a slut, he could never love her, she thought. Suddenly the house became too confining and she had to get away. She couldn't stay here knowing what he really thought about her. 

Heading upstairs, she let the tears fall, trying not to make any noise as she went into their bedroom and starting bundling up a few things she might need. She didn't have anywhere to go, but she couldn't stay there. She sat on the side of the bed and wiped her eyes, trying to think. She could ring Becky, maybe she'd be able to help her, even let her stay at the cabin for a while. No-one would know, as long as she could get Becky to keep it a secret from Glenn. Nausea rose hot in her throat and she rushed to the bathroom, just making it in time as she lost her stomach contents, starting to cry again at how weak she felt. Great, she was coming down with some awful bug and she would be on her own, in the middle of the forest, with no-one who cared. She pulled herself up off the floor and cleaned her teeth, washing her face and closing her eyes in resignation. No-one cared before, either. At least this way she'd be safe from any beatings. 

Just as she had finished getting her stuff together she heard Mark's footsteps coming towards the door and she hurriedly threw them in the closet, closing it just as he came in the room. He glanced at her briefly and then looked away, going to his bedside cabinet and grabbing his keys. "I've got to go out for a while," he muttered, frowning as he looked at her pale face. He looked like he was about to say something else, but he closed his mouth with a snap and left the room, slamming the door behind him. 

Ellie hung her head and gathered her shattered emotions together, sitting on the bed and reaching for the phone before she could chicken out. After dialling, the phone rang a couple of times and then Glenn answered, shocking Ellie who had been expecting to hear Becky's voice. She cleared her throat after he had said hello a couple of times and attempted an even tone of voice. "Hi, Glenn, is Becky there please?" 

"Hey Ellie, yeah sure, I'll just get her." 

There were sounds of fading footsteps and then smaller ones coming back before Becky spoke. "Hi Ellie!" she said cheerfully. 

"Becky I need to ask a favour," Ellie said immediately, her voice sombre. Becky couldn't fail to notice how she sounded and she went silent for a second. 

"What's wrong Ellie?" 

At those fateful words, Ellie burst into tears and had a real problem bringing herself back under control. "Mark hates me! He said I was a slut, and that he could never love me...!" 

"What? Ellie, he actually said that to your face?" Becky asked, shocked. 

"No, he was talking to someone on the phone, but I heard him. I have to leave here, I can't stay knowing how he feels, and I love him so much. Becky you have to help me!" 

"Of course I will, sweetie, you know I'll do whatever I can to help you," Becky said soothingly, feeling really worried when she heard the state Ellie was in. In all the years she had known her she had never heard her so low. 

"I want to stay at the cabin, it's the only place I can think of to go." 

"No problem, I'll ask Glenn to come and get you and..." 

"No!" Ellie burst out in a panic. "No, he mustn't know, you can't tell him. He'll tell Mark!" 

"Okay, calm down Ellie, I won't say a word I promise. Look, there's a hidden key," she said, detailing where it was, then she went on to tell her how to turn everything on, having seen Glenn do it when she had stayed there. "But how are you going to get there?" 

"I'll get a taxi. Mark isn't here right now, he won't be able to follow me," Ellie said, sounding a little calmer. "You won't tell him?" 

"Ellie, I would never do anything to hurt you, you know that. Listen, call a taxi right now and I'll come and see you as soon as I can get away, but it may be a few days, okay? There's food still there and the freezer's still working, so help yourself. What about money?" 

"I can get some money," she said quietly. "Thank you, Becky." 

"You're welcome. Take care of yourself." 

Ellie hung up and grabbed her bundle of things out of the closet, leaving the room swiftly and heading downstairs where she quickly put on a thick coat and dialled a taxi. A quick search of Mark's office came up with enough money to keep her going for a couple of weeks and she ran back into the hall as she heard the taxi draw up outside. 

"Where on earth are you going child?" Lizzy asked, startling Ellie as she appeared behind her in the hallway. 

"I'm going to see Becky," Ellie improvised, gesturing to the bundle she held. "I have to give these things back to her. I won't be long," she said, smiling. 

Lizzy looked suspicious. "Well, okay. But you make sure you're back before it gets dark or else Mark will worry about you." 

No, he won't, Ellie wanted to say but she just nodded and rushed out of the door, climbing into the taxi with relief and giving the directions. Mark could divorce her while she wasn't here and then he could find someone he could love, someone he would be happy with. She wiped a few tears away as she thought about the fact that it wouldn't be her. 

**** 

Mark had gone for a ride on his bike, letting the cold air sweep the cobwebs out of his brain. His own behaviour over the last few days suddenly came into focus and he grimaced. No wonder Ellie had been quiet, he hadn't spoken more than three words to her since Glenn and Becky had left. He had had time to analyse his own feelings and he finally admitted to himself that he had fallen in love with the sweet young girl he had forced to marry him. Now all he had to do was find out if she felt the same way, like Glenn had said. He turned the bike around and headed back home, eager now to try and sort out the mess he had made of his own marriage, such as it was. He wanted to be happy again, and Ellie had the power to do that for him. He was determined that nothing would stand in the way. 


	21. Chapter 21 final

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

Becky stood back and grimaced when Mark burst into their house the next day, yelling at Glenn. "Where the hell is she?" he bellowed, looking tired and drawn. 

"I have no idea, I've already told you that," Glenn said calmly, having already spoken to Mark on the telephone last night and early that same morning. 

Mark ran a hand through his hair. "Lizzy said she was coming here!" he said, his eyes going to Becky and then narrowing when she flushed guiltily. "You know where she is!" he accused angrily, taking a step towards her. 

Glenn blocked his way with a hand on his shoulder. "Stop right there!" 

"Look at her, for crying out loud! She knows where she is!" Mark said, pointing at her. 

Glenn turned his head and looked at Becky, frowning when he saw that Mark was right, she did know. He had asked her last night and she had said she had no idea where she was, but now it appeared that she had lied to him. "Becky, do you know?" Becky bit her lip and nodded, looking scared as Mark almost growled at her. Glenn gave him a withering look and then turned back to his fiancée. "Where is she sweetheart?" 

"I can't tell you that," she mumbled, torn between her loyalty to Ellie and her worry over her own skin. 

"You damn well can!" Mark snapped, straining against Glenn's hold. 

"She made me promise not to say," Becky said to him, lifting her chin. 

The words made Mark stop pushing and his shoulders slumped. "She didn't want me to find her?" he asked and his face contorted before he got it under control. He sat down in a nearby chair and put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. "Oh God, why would she go?" 

Becky almost relented when she saw how anguished he appeared to be, but then she remembered what he had said. "Because you called her a slut, because you said you could never love her!" 

Mark's head shot up and he frowned. "I did what?" 

"You heard me. She was heartbroken!" 

"I didn't say anything like that to her!" he said, astounded at the accusation. 

"No, not to her, just about her when you were talking on the phone yesterday," Becky said, glaring at him. 

Glenn stared at her. "That was when he was speaking to me, but it wasn't about Ellie, it was about his ex-wife." 

"Ellie heard what I said and assumed I meant her," Mark said slowly, closing his eyes. "No wonder she left." 

Becky stared at Glenn and bit her lip. "I promised I wouldn't tell," she said quietly, worried because she felt sorry for Mark and now she knew he wasn't guilty of those things. 

Glenn pulled her into a cuddle and smiled. "I know honey, but isn't it better for her if Mark brings her back? He loves her," he said, looking at his friend and raising one eyebrow. 

"Of course I love her!" Mark said, coming to his feet in a rush. 

Becky made her mind up and then nodded. "Okay, but you better not hurt her." 

"I'm not gonna hurt her, not ever. I just want to bring her home so I can prove to her she's my world," he said softly. 

"She's at the cabin," Becky said, sending Glenn an apologetic look. 

"Thanks," Mark said, making a dash for the door and not bothering to even say goodbye. He jumped in his truck and drove away from Glenn's house far too fast. 

Glenn looked at Becky with a mock frown. "Now then, young lady, let's go and have a little talk about you withholding things from me!" 

**** 

Ellie stepped carefully out into the deep snow and started picking up twigs and small branches that had fallen off the trees. Maybe with these she could light the fire better, because so far she had been having a lot of trouble with it. The snow was nearly a foot deep and the only wood she could collect were the bits that were only partially sticking out of the deep drifts. When she had a good armful she straightened and started making her way back to the cabin, surprised at how far she had come. Her eye was caught by a movement to her left and she swung around when a huge figure emerged from the trees, her breath catching on a gasp when she saw who it was. 

"Mark!" she said, her voice barely more than a whisper as she stood there with her mouth hanging open, shocked that he had found her. 

He stood still and his eyes ran over her for a few seconds, before returning to hers and pinning her with an angry glare. He didn't look too happy to see her, she thought. 

"Dammit, I ought to put you over my knee and paddle the life out of you, you damn pest!" he said, his voice a growl as he frowned across at her. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" 

He took a step forward and she took one back, trying to keep a distance between them, because he looked like he was about to erupt. He carried on moving, watching through narrowed eyes as she matched his steps, going in the opposite direction. "In fact, I don't know what I'm waiting for. You've got this coming, girl," he growled, starting to move faster, his intent clear in his eyes. 

Ellie dropped the wood and spun around, running as fast as she could through the deep snow and trees. She tripped and went flying, landing in a small snowdrift and getting a mouthful of powdery flakes. But she got up before he could reach her and carried on running, having no idea of where she was going or exactly how she would get away from him. She could hear his heavy footsteps behind her as he pursued her, his stride longer than hers and eating up the distance with ease. 

Before she had gone much further she felt a long arm snake around her waist and hoist her off the ground. She kicked and yelled for him to let her go, but he just gave a grunt and turned back towards the cabin, making his way there with her under his arm, seemingly not bothered by her frantic efforts to escape. In frustration she started throwing insults at him, using all the curses she had heard him use. He still didn't stop, although a couple of the words made his steps falter slightly. When he got her to the cabin he dropped her unceremoniously on the sofa and then locked the door, pocketing the key and standing with his arms folded, glaring at her. 

"You want to run those words by me again, or would you prefer just one punishment instead of two?" he asked, his voice deceptively calm considering his furious expression. 

"Punishment?" she asked, looking at him warily, remembering the last time he had thought she needed punishing, as he had put it, and that had only been for attempting to run away. Now she had actually done it, it would be far worse. 

"Yeah, punishment, I'm sure you haven't forgotten. You already had one coming, but those insults just sealed your fate, honey. So consider this a last request...you got anything else to say?" 

"What gives you the right to punish me? What for?" 

"One, for running off and making me worry about you. Two, for the things you said outside. That wasn't ladylike and I don't like to hear it, so you won't do it again, understand?" 

"You can't tell me what to do!" she said, angry that he was being so high-handed. 

"Oh yeah I can, and you can't do anything to stop me," he said, looking smug. His eyes narrowed when he heard her muttering under her breath. "I tell you what, honey, that better not be more of those cuss words because if it is, you'll regret it." 

Ellie pulled herself off the sofa and stood with her hands on her hips, giving his glare back in equal measure. "Really? Well then I haven't got anything more to lose have I?" she asked and then proceeded to fling insults at him again, faltering and then stopping when he rushed across the room at her, plucking her off the floor before she could attempt to get away. 

Seconds later she found herself laying across his lap with her head hanging down towards the floor, and she realised what he was about to do. "You wouldn't dare!" she gasped, realising what a stupid question that was. 

"Oh, wouldn't I?" he asked grimly before bringing his hand down on her backside in a series of sharp stinging blows. 

"Ow! _Ow_, oh you pig, get _off_ me!" she squealed, wriggling about furiously as she tried to get away from his heavy hands. "That hurts!" Which was the understatement of the year in her opinion. He had huge hands and he sure knew how to use them to the most painful advantage, and she could feel her backside getting red hot from the punishment, this being much harsher than he had been before. 

He continued paddling her soft flesh. "It ain't supposed to feel good, and you deserve every damn slap!" he barked at her through gritted teeth as he counted through five more smacks. 

By this time Ellie had pretty much stopped struggling and was laying limply on his legs, her eyes full of tears of rage and hurt which she assured herself she would not let fall. But he had other ideas. He carried on a little longer and only stopped when she had finally broken down and was sobbing. He finished and laid his hand over her heated flesh. "You got anything to say now?" he asked her. 

"Pig," she muttered, sniffing as one tear ran down her cheek. 

"Well, that ain't too bad, honey. At least you ain't cussing anymore," he said, pulling her up and then planting her on his lap and staring at her wet eyes. "I hate seeing tears in your eyes, baby, but I swear to God if you ever put me through that again, this will seem like a picnic to you!" 

"Go away," she mumbled, looking at him accusingly as she squirmed about on his lap where her backside was so sore. 

"I can't do that," he said, moving her into a more comfortable position and stopping her movements. He watched as her chin quivered and then she gave a small sob. "Don't cry, baby, I hate it when you cry." 

"Then don't watch, you big dumb tree! I hate you," she sobbed, and struggled to get off his lap, surprised when he let her go. 

He gave her a small smile and watched as she put some distance between them, standing a few feet away and glaring at him. "No, you don't, you love me, otherwise why would you get so upset you had to run away and hide, especially when I didn't actually do anything wrong?" He raised an eyebrow at her and then stood up, slowly approaching her. "How could I possibly say such awful things when I'm so deeply in love with you?" 

She had been in the process of backing up, but his words stopped her dead and she stared at him with her mouth hanging open. "What?" 

"You heard me, honey. I love you and you love me right back, even if I am a 'big dumb tree'. Go ahead, deny it," he said, looking amused. 

"I....but...you...you..." she gasped out and then swallowed as her world started to tilt crazily. She had enough time to give him a look of utter astonishment before her legs folded under her. 

Mark rushed forward and caught her before she hit the floor, shocked at how the colour had completely left her face and she had just wilted. He carried her over to the couch and laid her down, kneeling next to it, his hands shakily stroking her hair back from her too-white face. "Ellie? Sweetheart, open your eyes," he urged, one hand cupping her cheek as her eyelids fluttered slowly open. "Are you okay?" 

Ellie frowned and tried to remember how she came to be lying on the couch, her eyes widening as the memory returned. "What happened?" 

"You fainted. Are you okay?" 

"I think so," she mused, attempting to sit up but being held down firmly by his big hands. 

"You just stay there and rest a while. Have you been feeling okay?" Mark asked, looking perplexed. 

Her eyes shot to his and she bit her lip. "I've been a bit sick lately."  
"Sick? I knew it, something's wrong isn't it? Are you ill, baby?" He sounded so worried and he was being so careful when he touched her that she felt tears well in her eyes. 

"I'm not ill," she said, her voice shaking because she was worried about his reaction to what she had to tell him. What if he didn't want her anymore? She started crying and then just blurted the words out. "I think I'm pregnant!" 

Mark sat silently for a few seconds as though dazed, then his eyes widened. "Pregnant?! How...? Are you sure?" 

"I'm not sure. I missed my period," she told him, watching as he lifted her top and spread his hand over her abdomen, his face wearing an expression of awe. He looked thunderstruck. 

"You didn't tell me," he said accusingly, his eyes boring into hers. 

"I wasn't sure, I'm still not. And anyway, I thought you didn't want me and I didn't want you to feel obligated to me in any way," she said, sniffing and giving a jerky shrug of her shoulders. 

"Obligated? For Christ's sake, of course I'd feel obligated. Why on earth is that such a bad thing?" he asked her, shaking his head. "As for not wanting you, well you know different little girl. Who else knows?" 

"No-one. I haven't told anyone I even felt sick." 

"And you ran off, knowing you might be pregnant, knowing you'd have to face that on your own. Ah, honey why did you leave?" 

"I didn't want to hurt you. I wanted you to find someone else and be happy, if you couldn't love me." 

Mark closed his eyes and a pained look crossed his face. "The only way you could hurt me honey is by falling off the face of the planet, which is exactly what you did. That really hurt. I've never been so scared in all my life as I was when you were gone and no-one in the house knew where you were. Becky wouldn't tell me, not until today, and she only did it because I told her I loved you." 

"I'm sorry," she said, her lips trembling, "I didn't know what else to do." 

He hugged her against him, half pulling her off the couch. "Don't you worry about it now, I've got you back, that's all that matters. That and the baby." He pulled back and stared at her. "My God, I'm going to be a father!" A smile slowly spread across his face as he thought about it. 

"You don't mind?" 

"Mind? I can't believe it, I love it! I'm going to be a father! Oh my God," he suddenly frowned and looked at her with concern. "You fell over when I came after you. Hell, I hit you! Come on, we're going to the doctors, right now!" He pulled her up off the couch and stuffed her into her coat, making sure it was done up properly and then wrapping a blanket around her. 

"Mark, I'm fine, honestly..." she began, but he lifted her in his arms and strode out of the door. 

"We're making sure that's exactly what you are. Be quiet!" he said when she went to speak again. A few minutes later she was in his truck and being driven at a sensible speed to his doctors, where he paced around nervously while she was examined. He looked up when she came out of the office. "Well?" 

"I'm pregnant," she said, her face glowing with pleasure as he picked her up and twirled her around the waiting room. 

"Oh my God, I can't believe it!" he said, laughing suddenly. He put her down and gazed into her eyes. "You've made me so happy, sweetheart. I only hope I can make you as happy." 

"You already have. I love you so much and now you've given me a baby," she said, blinking back tears. "I can't believe how much my life has changed in a few short weeks." 

"Mine too. I was destined to always be known as the Beast on the mountain, I think," he said, chuckling. 

"That's only because people don't know the real you," she whispered, touching his face and smiling. "And I'm glad they don't, because that's just for me." 

"Everything I am is just for you, beautiful. You realise they'll be calling us beauty and the beast?" he murmured as he carried her out of the doctor's office, oblivious to the stares of passers-by. 

"That's okay," Ellie grinned, still gazing at him as if she couldn't believe he was really hers now. "You know what happened to Beauty and the Beast?" 

"What?" he asked, cocking one eyebrow and grinning at how pretty she was. 

"They lived happily ever after," she said as he lowered his head and kissed her passionately, sealing their love in front of the whole town. 

**** 

One month later Glenn and Becky became husband and wife, and Mark arranged the ceremony so that he and Ellie could renew their marriage vows, this time meaning every word as it was spoken. His eyes were so full of love when he bent to kiss her that she cried, and the few people in the congregation gave smiles as they saw how much Mark had changed. He placed a hand gently over the slight mound of her belly and smiled with pure joy at what fate had given him. And of course, just like a fairy tale, they all lived happily ever after. 

**THE END**

_****Well, come on, how did you expect a fairy tale to end?? I hope you enjoyed it, as it is only my second completed fic to date! But I've enjoyed writing it and want to thank everyone for the great reviews, it kept me going when all I wanted to do was give up!!****_


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